After an action-packed first week in the ACAC, some sports are still in their preseason, while others regular seasons have started. With another weekend in the books, here’s how the Ooks fared.
Hockey
The men’s team played their first exhibition matches of the year on Friday and Saturday against the MacEwan Griffins.
On Friday, the Ooks got an early lead, scoring two goals in the first period. The Griffins stormed back in the second, making the score 3-2 for NAIT with 20 minutes left to play. Despite the Griffin’s determined offensive push in the second period, the Ooks would add two goals in the third and come out with a 5-2 win over MacEwan.
The game started quickly on Saturday, with MacEwan leading NAIT by a score of 4-1 at the end of the second period. The Griffins dominated, scoring another four goals in the third. They defeated the Ooks with a shocking 8-1 final score.
The men’s team will play an exhibition match against the SAIT Trojans on September 30 in Calgary. The women’s team is on the road next weekend, facing off against Minot State, Midland University and the University of Regina from September 22-24.
Soccer
NAIT travelled north to play the Portage Voyageurs at Bold Center Field in Lac La Biche on Friday, before coming home on Sunday to play the Concordia Thunder.
The women’s team was the first to take the pitch and came out of the gate flying. They poured on the offence against Portage, outshooting the Voyageurs 21-1 en route to a 4-0 shutout victory.
NAIT’s success against Portage continued on the men’s side as the Ooks limited the Voyageurs to four shots the entire game. Seven of NAIT’s nine shots on goal found the back of the net, sending the Ooks cruising to a 7-0 win.
On Sunday, with the Ooks trailing the Thunder 2-0 at the start of the second half, the women’s game was delayed by 30 minutes due to poor air quality. The air quality ended up causing both games to be rescheduled, and a makeup date has not yet been announced.
The Ooks will be back next weekend as they face Keyano College in a pair of games on September 22 and 23.
Golf
The Ooks struggled again, as the men’s team finished fourth while the women’s placed last, with a Total to Par Gross (TPG) of +110 and +158.
Leading the way for the men’s and women’s teams were Mason Gorski and Michaella Kibblewhite, who finished in the top 10 for their individual categories. Gorski finsihed with a TPG of +9 and Kibblewhite had a +47.
As the ACAC golf regular season comes to an end, the ACAC Championship tournament will begin next week, starting September 24 at Alberta Springs Golf Resort.
Volleyball
The men’s volleyball team played their first exhibition game of the year on Sunday against the Concordia Thunder.
The team added seven recruits in what has been called a “historic recruiting class” by NAIT Athletics. The blue and gold wasted no time displaying their dominance with their new additions, as the Ooks swept the Thunder in all five sets to win 5-0.
On September 29, NAIT will square off against the Briercrest College Clippers before travelling to The King’s University on the 30th to play the Eagles and the Keyano College Huskies in a doubleheader.
cover photo via NAIT Athletics
