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Queens roll SAIT

Kassie Pritchard is the first to tell you she’s still learning the ins and outs of playing striker for the RDC Queens soccer team.
RDCKingsSocce
SAIT Trojan Jeffery Rogers tries to push RDC King Greg Reddekopp off the ball Saturday. SAIT won 5-2.

Queens 3 Trojans 1

Kassie Pritchard is the first to tell you she’s still learning the ins and outs of playing striker for the RDC Queens soccer team.

“After playing outside midfield last season this is definitely a big learning curve,” she said. “I have to do so many things different than last year, so I have a lot to work on.”

But you could never tell it the way she’s playing.

Pritchard scored twice Saturday to help lead the Queens to a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over the SAIT Trojans in Alberta Colleges Women’s Soccer League play at RDC. She now has three goals in two games.

“Today was an awesome game,” she said. “It’s a challenge to make the switch, but I’m athletic so that makes it easier as well.”

Pritchard is tall — five-foot-10 — which gives her an advantage in the crease, plus she’s got the speed to pull away from a defender.

“My speed has always helped,” she said. “But I still need to work on my quickness, especially my first step with the ball.”

While Pritchard is making an impression during the early part of the season, so has Katelyn LaGrange, who scored the winning goal on an outstanding individual effort.

LaGrange took the ball just over half, beat two defenders and chipped the ball past SAIT keeper Katrina Greenley for her second goal of the season.

“Katelyn is playing like we know she can,” said Queens head coach Jerry Gerling. “Last year we had more expectations of her, but she was learning and this year she’s doing a great job.”

The Queens started strong Saturday and dominated the game for the first 15 minutes, but couldn’t beat Greenley, who made big save after big save.

As a result the Trojans got a boost and Lisa Hickey gave them a 1-0 lead which they held until the mid point of the second half when Hickey went down with an injury following a collision with RDC’s veteran defender Sam Vockeroth.

‘It was a very physical game and after the injury we made a couple of slight changes and attacked a bit more,” explained Gerling.

Pritchard tied the score just after the injury with LaGrange scoring with 15 minutes remaining and Pritchard in the final five minutes.

Brittany Baker played another solid game in net for RDC, who ran their record to 2-0-0. The Trojans sit at 1-2-0.

Trojans 5 Kings 2

Kings head coach Steve Fullarton knew going into the game his side had to be at their best against one of the top teams in the ACAC. They weren’t and as a result dropped a 5-2 decision, which left them with a 0-1-1 record. The Trojans are 1-0-2.

“We talked before the game about not allowing them to play their game and we didn’t do a good job of marking,” said Fullarton. “We weren’t doing our job especially when we didn’t have the ball.

“They’re a very talented side, a better side than we are, so we need to work that much harder.”

Keegan Sheehan scored both goals for the Kings while Paul Ritchie had a pair of goals for the Trojans and Bryan Baker and Eric Sarumoh one each. Their final goal was an own-goal by the Kings.

“Even on that goal we did a poor job of marking,” added Fullarton.

The RDC squads visit Lethbridge today and return home Sept. 27 against Mount Royal.

drode@www.reddeeradvocate.com