Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – How the young MacEwan Griffins men's soccer team responds this weekend after a heartbreaking loss in their last outing will go a long way in determining how their 2018 Canada West season is going to play out.
Will they take their coaches' post-game message to heart?
Or will they fall victim to some of the same mistakes that led to a 3-1 loss to Victoria last Sunday?
We're about to find out as they board a plane, bound for a pair of games in B.C. – Friday in Kelowna at UBC-Okanagan (4 p.m. MT, Canada West TV) and Saturday in Vancouver at UBC (8:30 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
"We didn't play the way we wanted to this past weekend, so the message to the lads is we just have to hit that reset button and refocus," said Griffins head coach Adam Loga who has his team sitting in a playoff position midway through the season at 3-3-1. "It wasn't a weekend we were necessarily proud of; however we are very proud of where we're sitting right now and the work we've put in since Aug. 1. So, we can't negate that and overlook that."
If you missed it, the Griffins tied their match against the Vikes with less than nine minutes left only to give up two goals in the waning moments and lose in stunning fashion.
"We just need to learn from last weekend, hit the reset button, don't let it be a hangover moving into this week, and carry on doing what we do best," said Loga.
Considering UBCO (1-4-3) gave up results to two of MacEwan's pursuers in the Prairie Division playoff chase last weekend – a 1-1 draw with 0-5-1 Lethbridge and a 2-0 loss to 3-3-0 Mount Royal University – Friday's game is a crucial one for the Griffins.
"We need points," said Loga. "Like I said over the weekend, we missed a big opportunity to gain separation and there's teams within our division who've had success with UBCO. We've got to maintain pace with those teams."
Currently, MacEwan sits just a point ahead of MRU, who have a game in hand, in the battle for second in the Prairie Division, while Calgary and Saskatchewan, tied for the final playoff spot, are four in arrears.
Also making Friday's match more important is the looming, sinister shadow of Saturday's opponent. The 5-0-1 UBC Thunderbirds are ranked third in the nation and traditionally take no prisoners. Getting a result against them will be a titanic task.
"I think it's a great test for the young lads," said Loga. "We're a bunch of first, second-year guys. We're basically a U18/U19 team, for the most part.
"It's a program we respect," he added. "They've got multiple national championships. It's somewhere we want to be.
"It's a great test for these young 18 year olds to see the standard and see where they need to be. And hopefully they will treat it as, obviously, a test, but they should be inspired and motivated to meet that challenge."
