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By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

season starts sept. 17

Kings & Queens soccer clubs remain strong despite long pandemic layoff

Sep 13, 2021 | 10:40 AM

The 2021/22 ACAC soccer season is days from getting underway, with both the RDP Kings and Queens getting in final preparations.

The Queens began training earlier than usual this year, putting 10 of their players into a girls U19 league.

The team hasn’t seen college action in over a year-and-a-half due to COVID-19.

“It has been tough mentally and physically to prepare because the student-athletes have been out of game shape for so long,” says Mahziar Peyrow, head coach. “As a result, we have been conducting two training sessions a day during the week to get our fitness up.”

From the Queens 2019/2020 team, All-Conference forward Alisha Coules, midfielder Abbi Galloway, and defenders Lexi Kowalchuk and Rebecca McBride are back this season. Coules, a Bachelor of Science Nursing student, is an offensive dynamo and led the team in scoring two years ago, with nine goals and three assists in 12 games. Three were game winners.

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Jaden Humphrey and Kayla Yeo, who last played for the Queens in 2018/2019, are back this season. Midfielder Reesa Garez also returns to Red Deer Polytechnic after a four-year hiatus.

“It is important to have those veterans returning because they are the ones that help positively shape the culture,” says Peyrow, previously a Kings assistant coach. “Tradition is so important for this team and the returning players want to carry that forward and pass that on to the rookies. Alisha does that extremely well and remains team captain. We also have Rebecca as one of our assistants.”

Peyrow notes the Kings success — finishing sixth nation-wide in 2019 — has had a positive impact on Queens recruitment.

Also coming in is first-year talent, Edmonton’s Sofia Quinteros, who had offers to play Division 1 in the U.S. and elsewhere around North America, but notably chose RDP.

She’s joined by her sister Estel Quinteros, as well as Paige Fleischman, Corbynn Fuijimoto, Fernanda Giuntini Bella, Tristen Clubine, Jenica Swartz, Danyelle Bouvier, Selena Delahunty, Tamera Ferris, Sein Furuyama, Dominique Jackson, Jaiden Radics, Grace Smith and Natassia Wright.

This pre-season, the Queens lost 5-0 to Keyano, then won 7-0 over King’s University and 4-1 over Olds College. The shortened six-game regular season kicks off Sept. 17 vs. Lethbridge College at RDP.

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On the Kings side, the team is looking to repeat or even improve on its aforementioned national success from two years ago.

That season, they won ACAC silver.

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“It is absolutely outstanding to be back on the pitch,” says Gerald Grobmeier, Kings head coach. “This year is a sprint. From the moment we hear the first whistle we must be on our game. We are very fortunate because much of this team is made up of Red Deer Renegades alumni.”

That includes Kristofer Grobmeier, Hayden Jacobs, Kaidri Bornyi, Gabriel Martins Fonseca and All-Conference selection Pedro Humberto Mourao Neto, along with Gabriel Fleury de Queiroz.

“We also rely on some of the newer guys for leadership like Ajdin [Sarcevic], Kirkland [Moody] and Jared [St. Thomas],” explains Grobmeier. “Although they are new to the program, they come with a lot of experience. Ajdin played in the Bosnia, Kirkland has competed internationally, and Jared played at a very high level in Ontario.”

Sarcevic, a Renegades alumni, competed as a midfielder for NK Prodgrmec Sanski in the Bosnian Division II league, Red Deer’s Moody played pro in Jamaica, and Lacombe’s St. Thomas has experience as a keeper with Ottawa South United, a semi-professional soccer team.

Musa Abedi, Isaiah Albright, Jesus Amaris, Carson Coady, Brian Grantham, Nicholas Min, Wataru Oguchi, Adan Sanchez-Pimental, Sheku Sesay, Emmanuel Siaw, Wakuto Tamura, Garrett Thompson and Thomson Wellie, as well as Osvaldo Aguilar (last played for RDP in 2018/19) and Masoum Zahe (last played for RDP in 2016/17), round out the side.

In a pair of exhibition games, the Kings tied Keyano College 1-1 and then shut out King’s University 5-0. The shortened six-game regular season begins Sept. 17 with a home match against Lethbridge College at 4 p.m.