NAIT athletics’ dominance across the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference continues as the Ooks men’s futsal team put in a championship performance at the provincial championships the third weekend of March.
They took commanding leads through the first two games despite tough competition, beating Ambrose University and The King’s University, two strong programs in Ooks soccer and futsal coach Jeff Paulus’ eyes.
He says rural schools like Ambrose tend to focus on futsal in the winter, and The King’s University is registered in the Edmonton Futsal League as a team. Meanwhile, the Ooks’ futsal program is an extension of the soccer program. “This is an add on for us,” Paulus explains.
“They get to create whatever it is that they want to create when they play. And we treat our games the same way. So the only thing we ask for is that they work hard defensively and we press our opposition.”
In the gold medal final, the Ooks played Medicine Hat College and finally met their third defeat of the year, losing 7-3 and netting the silver medal. And this was all without a goalie.
“One of our players had to play net, which posed some interesting challenges for us,” says Paulus. “But we don’t give up a lot of shots. We don’t give up a lot of great chances.”
The players who were in net, Construction Engineering Technology student Hossie Kifle and Culinary Arts student Rio Matic, made some saves “they probably shouldn’t have based on no experience in that position,” the coach explained.
The midfield and defense heroes let in seven goals across two games, and only 14 goals the entire tournament.
Soccer to futsal
The team’s strength is the grit and technical ability that stems from their strong performances during soccer season.
“We have the best outdoor team in our conference,” says Paulus. The team’s strength translates well to futsal, which Paulus says is a “very technical game.”
He says the team doesn’t focus much on futsal tactics during scrimmage.
“They get to create whatever it is that they want to create when they play. And we treat our games the same way. So the only thing we ask for is that they work hard defensively and we press our opposition.”
While the Ooks were second in the ACAC championship for goals allowed with 14, they averaged even less goals during the regular season with only 10.
On the offensive end, the team attacked as a single devastating unit, with goals across the board. Midfielders Jameson Kiezik and Peter Jones stood out, with ACAC All-Star Kiezik netting two hat tricks in both qualifying games and Jones being named to the ACAC All-Conference Team. Matthew Herbut, another midfielder, was also an ACAC Tournament All-Star.
This team fought for every game, and assists were made consistently in a true team effort. Paulus is confident in their ability to play. “It’s just the DNA of this group of players,” he says. “They don’t want to lose.”
He gave all the credit to his team for a fantastic season — indoor and outdoor. “No matter who the coach is, you can never win without good players … that allows us to keep our consistency going.”
Ooks soccer program looking forward to hosting nationals
The Ooks are not about to lose traction any time soon after their second year at futsal provincial finals, as they are hosting next year’s soccer nationals.
This will mark three appearances in a row at nationals for the men’s soccer program, and they’re already looking forward to next year.
“Our goal next year is to win all three events. ACAC soccer, ACAC futsal and CCAA nationals in soccer,” says Paulus.
The program has a lot of returning players, but also “already some great recruits.”
“I’m looking to recruit in a few internationals, which we haven’t really done in the past four years,” Paulus says.
“NAIT’s an attractive school for many athletes, for student athletes, because they know that they can come to our school and have a fantastic football experience. And on top of that, get a top-notch education. So, you know, everything falls into place for us.”
The chemistry the team has built during the soccer season carried over flawlessly to futsal, and the technical brilliance they showed off during futsal provincials is another testament to the powerhouse team that Paulus and his players have created. The Ooks always have the tools to back up what they say, and if you thought gold in soccer provincials and silver in futsal provincials was a lot, they’re looking to bring the triple home next season
Feature image via NAIT Ooks
