Futsal Action Unfolds at Lethbridge: ACAC South Regional Recap

Lethbridge, AB - The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks hosted the first South Regional of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Futsal season this past weekend. Six schools participated, including the host Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks, Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens, SAIT Trojans, Ambrose University Lions, Olds College Broncos, and the Medicine Hat College Rattlers, as they travelled down for the weekend games.

"Every team has a legitimate shot of qualifying for the Futsal championships going into the second regional," says Lethbridge Polytechnics Athletic Director, Todd Caughlin. "The level of competitiveness between the men's and women's divisions showed, and there is no clear-cut champion coming out of this."

The SAIT Trojans women's squad had a strong showing at the regional, going undefeated over the two-day competition. Their balanced attack and rock-solid defense made them untouchable, with Rachelle O'Learn and Yuko Hamada leading the way offensively. Medicine Hat College put together an impressive campaign, led by Leslie Keandra's tournament-leading 7 goals, securing second place in the standings with strong wins.

Lethbridge Kodiaks had a balanced tournament, showing resilience in key moments, while Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic finished level in the standings, both delivering competitive performances but struggling to break into the top tier. Ambrose University fought hard in each match but struggled to convert performances into results.

Standings (after the first south regional)

Top Scorers

Keandra Leslie – MHC: 7 goals 
Rachelle O'Leary – SAIT: 5 goals
Yuko Hamada – SAIT: 5 goals
Gracee Valgardson – LPK: 5 goals
Khloe Jankowiak – LPK, Elisa Mysko – AMB, Jessie Haden – OC: 4 goals

The next time the south futsal teams clash will be at the second Southern Regional, which will be held on February 22-23, hosted by the Olds College Broncos.