Trojans unhappy after settling for draw

CALGARY, ALTA., (Sept. 21, 2019) - The SAIT Trojans women's soccer team felt like one slipped away, Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans were down, then up, and eventually had to settle for a 3-3 tie with the Medicine Hat College Rattlers in their Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) contest played at SAIT's Cohos Commons Field. 

After storming back from a 2-0 deficit, the Trojans responded with three of their own before an untimely handball call in the box led to Medicine Hat's second penalty kick goal of the game to end the scoring.

"It's kind of upsetting," said Trojans captain, Skye Gordon (3rd year, Langley, BC, Bachelor of Business Administration. "We fought back to tie the game and take the lead, and then just shut off for one play and it ended up costing us."

SAIT moves to 1-2-1 on the season. Medicine Hat sees their record go to 2-1-1.

Gordon said her team's warmup wasn't great, and that bled into the start of the game. 

The Rattlers opened the scoring in the 18th minute when one of their players was taken down in the penalty area. Jadyn Fode took the ensuing penalty kick, and beat Trojans keeper Amy Offredi (4th year, Calgary, Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant).

They doubled their lead when Maisa Robello found the back of the net, but instead of lowering their heads, the Trojans came to life.

Just 41 seconds later, rookie Jade Metz (1st year, Calgary, Bachelor of Business Administration) scored her first of two goals on the day to cut the lead in half.

Her second came just before the end of the first half to tie the game at 2-2 going into halftime.

SAIT took their first lead of the game off a corner kick when Kenzie Georgsen (1st year, Chestermere, Alta., Architectural Technologies) headed the pass into the net.

While they controlled most of the play in the second 45 minutes of play, it was a rare appearance in their end of the field that cost them.

A cross of the ball into the box by the Rattlers went off the hand of SAIT's Mykayla Geary-Rigio, which resulted in another penalty kick for the visitors.

Again Fode took the kick, and again she made good on it to tie the game late.

"The game goes sideways, and what can you do because there's only three minutes left," Gordon said. "We started to get going too late in this game, so we need to learn from that."

The Trojans will put this one behind them quickly, as they head south on Sunday to take on the Lethbridge College Kodiaks in a noon start.

"We're excited to start again tomorrow and put together a good performance from whistle to whistle," added Gordon. "We want to take it to them, and use it as another stepping stone towards making the playoffs."