ROYALS TOP KNIGHTS IN SEASON FINALE
WELLAND - The Redeemer Royals men's soccer team stormed their way to a 4-1 victory over the Niagara College Knights in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Royals finish the season with a 1-4-1 record, finishing fourth in the highly competitive south division.
The Royals almost fell behind early on when Niagara's Travis Korten fired a shot just wide of goalkeeper Adam Katerberg (Listowel, ON) goal, who was getting his first start of the season.
It did not take long for the Royals to respond. In the 24th minute, forward Gavyn Pols (Wainfleet, ON) took a shot from the left side of the box to score his first of the season and give Redeemer the lead.
Knights goalie Jordan Dawson almost saved the shot, but the ball finally found the back of the net for a Royals side that struggled thus far this season to score.
Less than five minutes after the first goal, Redeemer made it 2-0 thanks to Justin Rajballie (Pickering, ON). After a long ball from the center of the pitch, Rajballie proceeded to crash the net, finishing off a great play to score his first goal of the season.
Head Coach Gad Espinosa explained his team's mentality going into the game. "We knew Niagara would be a good opponent and a good challenge for us. They are a spot above us in the standings. We knew we could score and remained confident we could pull out a good win."
Rajbalie and the Royals were back at it moments later when Justin set up Royals forward Hunter Packalen (Milton, On) for his second goal of the season. Packalen turned and ripped the shot into the back of the net to give Redeemer a 3-0 lead in the 60th minute.
The Royals scored their final goal in the 71st minute to complete their onslaught. This time, a great team buildup resulted in a slotted ball inside the right post by Gerrit Oldejans (Dundas, ON). Oldejans' first goal of the season brought the score to 4-0 for the red and blue, where it would stay until the 75th minute when Niagara would get one back but could do no more before the final whistle.
An excited Coach Espinosa commented after the game. "I feel great about the boys' composure, it shows we have a strong mentality. I knew the boys had a winning mindset, it's always been part of what makes our team special. We are confident in our ability and, this confidence lets us stay composed and keep playing our style."
Niagara outshot Redeemer 17-8, twelve coming in the second half. The Knights secured the number three overall seed and travel next week to play St Clair College. The Royals missed out on the playoffs but proved they belong. A slow start and dropped points ultimately decided the fate of the Royal kickers.
Espinosa shared his final comments to end the season. "Firstly, I am very proud of our team and how well we have done this season," he said. "However, I know that the post-season is what matters, I feel for the boys. Today we proved we belong. We have very high expectations, we prepare to win every game and, I believe that we could have been a team to surprise opponents in the playoffs. Unfortneluty with a short season, it just took us too long to find our grove".
The Royals will now take some time away from the training ground before preparing for the OCAA indoor season in a few weeks
