Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
CALGARY – Another slow start doomed the MacEwan men's soccer team to an uphill battle they couldn't overcome in a 3-1 defeat Sunday to the Mount Royal University Cougars that has their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
After falling to 3-8-2, the Griffins could be eliminated from playoff contention before they play their final regular season game of the 2018 Canada West season next Saturday – a visit to Foote Field to play Alberta (2:15 p.m.).
So grim are their post-season hopes now, the Griffins would need to become the first team to beat the Golden Bears this season while hoping MRU (4-7-1) loses to both Saskatchewan on Oct. 19 and Lethbridge on Oct. 21.
Needless to say, Sunday's result, which meant the Griffins got nothing out of a two-game road trip to Calgary, was a massive disappointment for a program that has come the closest it ever has to a Canada West playoff berth.
"Every game we played this year mattered," said MacEwan head coach Adam Loga. "That's never happened for the program in our existence in Canada West. Every result had playoff implications.
"We're a young group, but hopefully the L result is not just for a loss, but for learning, as well. Hopefully these young freshmen and sophomore players can carry this feeling forward in their career."
Slow starts and set pieces have killed the Griffins many times this season and, sure enough, in their biggest game of the season, MRU opened the scoring just 4:35 in on a corner kick that Travis MacPhee converted past Seth Johnstone.
"The first 5-10 we had some chances," said Loga. "Unfortunately, they got their first opportunity on a corner and they capitalized. Then, it kind of snowballed a bit."
MRU went up 2-0 in the 14th minute when Togolese striker René Douvon nicked in an easy goal, benefiting from poor communication on the Griffins' defensive line, resulting in the ball bouncing over everyone and leaving the net wide open.
MRU's Orest Ndabaneze then tallied his team-leading fifth goal of the season 31 minutes into the contest when he finessed a shot past a diving Johnstone.
MacEwan got one back before the half when Zachary Rochat put enough power behind his driven free kick to beat MRU keeper Kyran Valley.
Unfortunately, Tyrell Leslie received a red card for a violent play in the 61st minute, putting MacEwan a man short for the final 29 minutes and change as they valiantly attempted a comeback effort that fell short.
"We kind of reset and then got one back," said Loga. "Even when we went down to 10 men, we took it to them pretty well. The second half, our guys showed resilience and showed a lot of pride. They pushed forward and didn't quit. That's commendable, but it's just unfortunate.
"They showed will and determination in periods of time that we hadn't seen all year, so that's definitely a positive," he added. "But still, losing in a game of this magnitude is definitely painful."
While their spot in the standings (now fifth in the Prairie Division) may not be a surprise to coaches poll voters who pegged MacEwan as a non-playoff team, it's stunning on many levels when you consider a month ago the Griffins were in the driver's seat for second in the division and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
After starting the season 3-2, though, they have just two points to show for their last eight outings.
"We beat ourselves a bit," surmised Loga. "I think that has a lot to do with it. Slow starts and set pieces were a huge reason for it.
"I don't know if there's any indication, but we've only earned two points since school started. I don't know if it's a situation where just the transition of being a student-athlete at the collegiate levels may be a little tough for the young guys. The staff needs a little time to reflect."
-With files from MRU Athletics
