(L-R) Top: Admir Sarcevic, Njegos Bajovic (11), Jaxon Fernandes (17), Brian Murray (31), Ibukunoluwa Oyawale (2) and Ajdin Sarcevic. Bottom: Payton Erick (15), Mikayla Fujimoto (11), McKenna Leslie (14) and Oliva Lundell (8). (Supplied)

By RDP Athletics

ONE COACH, NINE ATHLETES

Members of RDP Kings and Queens Soccer earn ACAC recognition

Oct 25, 2024 | 4:43 PM

One coach and nine Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) student-athletes have been recognized by the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) for their impactful contributions to the Kings and Queens Soccer programs this season.

Admir Sarcevic, Kings Soccer Head Coach, has been named the 2024 ACAC Men’s Soccer South Coach of the Year, guiding the team to first place (6-2-2) in the South Division during the regular season.

As a reflection of Sarcevic’s exceptional coaching abilities, five Kings have made the 2024 ACAC Men’s Soccer South All-Conference team. Goalkeeper Brian Murray (Open Studies), defenders Njegos Bajovic (Open Studies) and Ibukunoluwa Oyawale (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology), and midfielders Ajdin Sarcevic (Business Administration General) and Jaxon Fernandes (Open Studies) have earned spots on the ACAC Men’s Soccer South All-Conference team.

Over nine starts, Red Deer’s Murray ranked third in the South Division with a 1.67 goals against average. He recorded five wins in the Kings’ net, including two shutouts. While defenders Bajovic (one goal and three assists) and Oyawale (one goal and one assist) were strong in their own zone, both student-athletes helped quickly transition the ball up the field to ignite the Kings’ potent offence. Both the RDP Kings and SAIT Trojans scored 27 regular season goals, tying for the lead in the South Division.

Red Deer’s Ajdin Sarcevic ranked first in the league with 14 goals and 33 points. Calgary’s Fernandes had six goals, one assist and the highest shooting percentage (0.857) on the Kings.

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The second place Red Deer Polytechnic Queens (9-3) features four 2024 ACAC Women’s Soccer South AllConference selections. Defender Payton Erick (Business Diploma), midfielders Olivia Lundell (Open Studies) and Mikayla Fujimoto (Open Studies), and forward McKenna Leslie (Bachelor of Education) have been recognized among the top performers in the South Division.

“I want to congratulate Admir and all nine student-athletes on receiving this prestigious ACAC recognition,” says Randy Stewart, Manager, Athletics and Student Life at RDP. “They all worked extremely hard and contributed immensely to the success of their respective teams this season.”

Erick started all 12 contests and played a significant role in the Queens’ second best defence (11 goals against) in the South Division. Red Deer’s Lundell contributed seven goals and four assists. Fujimoto had two goals and one assist. Leslie, a first-year student-athlete from Red Deer, recorded six goals and nine assists.

Both the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens are competing at the ACAC Soccer Championships held October 25-27 at Hansen Lincoln Field in Grande Prairie.

With the first place finish during the regular season, the RDP Kings earned a bye to the ACAC Men’s Soccer semi-finals on Saturday, October 26 at 5:30 pm. The Kings will face the winner between the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks (5-3-2) and Keyano College Huskies (9-1-2).

The Queens will challenge the host Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (2-9-1) on Friday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m. The winner will play the first place Concordia University Thunder (11-0-1) from the North Division in the semi-finals on Saturday, October 26 at 3 p.m.

These distinguished awards were celebrated at the 2024 ACAC Soccer Championship Dinner in Grande Prairie on October 24.

The schedules of the ACAC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships are available at: acac.ab.ca.