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Rattlers down Broncos 4-1 in final home games of the season

Oct 22, 2017 | 12:10 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It was a bittersweet afternoon for a number of Medicine Hat College Rattlers veterans, playing their final home games against the Olds College Broncos on Saturday.

In the early game, it was the women’s soccer team trying to keep pace with the SAIT Trojans, who sit in first place in the South Division.

It only took nine minutes for the Rattlers to open the scoring, with midfielder Jadyn Fode converting on a play from Shaelyn Holdaway to make it a 1-0 Medicine Hat lead.

Fode added her second of the match just before halftime, scoring in the 42nd minute from Meagan Clarke to give the Rattlers a 2-0 advantage at the break.

Olds College tried to turn the tide early in the second half courtesy of forward Jasmine Flett, putting one past Kassidy Suberlak in the 58th minute.

Jordyn Bell increased the Rattlers lead back to a pair of goals with an unassisted marker in the 70th minute, scoring not only in her final home game but on her birthday as well.

Medicine Hat kept their foot on the gas in stoppage time, with Bell scoring her second of the game to cap off a 4-1 Rattlers victory and a very special final game at Rattlers Field.

Bell said scoring in extra time was special, just due to the personal circumstances surrounding Saturday’s game.

“It was definitely nice,” said Bell. “I think I’ve missed like seven breakaways this season, so to not miss that one felt pretty good. But, it just felt nice for the team.”

Suberlak saw her four-game shutout streak snapped, but did pick up four saves en-route to the Rattlers victory.

The Rattlers keep pace with the Trojans with the win, sitting in second place in the division with a 7-1-1 record.

It was an important game on Saturday for the Rattlers men’s team as well, trying to keep up with SAIT and Lethbridge College in a divisional race separating the three teams by only a handful of points.

Like in the women’s game, Medicine Hat got out to an early 1-0 lead off the foot of Rodrigo Tavares for his fourth goal of the season in the eighth minute.

The Rattlers held onto that 1-0 lead all the way until the 69th minute, when fifth-year midfielder Jared Ursulan continued his exceptional season with an unassisted marker.

Olds fought back in the 77th minute thanks to a goal from Mario Fabian Gromenida to cut the deficit to one, but Rattlers striker Austin Price answered back seven minutes later to give Medicine Hat a 3-1 lead.

Ursulan added his second goal of the afternoon in the 87th minute to seal a 4-1 win for the Rattlers over the Broncos.

Ursulan said it hasn’t hit him yet that his soccer career at Rattlers Field has come to a close.

“It felt like the same-old thing, just kind of getting ready for any other game,” said Ursulan. “It hasn’t really sunk in that this is my last home game here. We still have a few games to go, we have a game tomorrow and games next weekend, so it doesn’t feel like I’m done yet.”

Rattlers goalkeeper Joao Vitor Duz Batista was rock solid, winning player of the game honours with just one goal allowed on seven shots.

With the Rattlers failing to qualify for the ACAC gold medal game last year, Ursulan said the team is motivated ahead of playoffs.

“A lot of us know what happened last year, it was really heart-breaking and last-minute,” he said. “So, we kind of have that in the back of our heads, we’re going to use it to learn from it and use it to fuel us. So, hopefully that goes forward for us.”

Winning their third game in a row, the Rattlers still trail the Trojans and Kodiaks by three points and one point, respectively.

The Rattlers soccer teams wrap up the regular season on Sunday with a big test, as they face the division-leading Trojans at SAIT in Calgary.