Photo courtesy of Medicine Hat College Rattlers

By Scott Roblin

ACAC Soccer

Rattlers soccer teams fall short of playoffs for second straight year

Oct 20, 2019 | 8:00 PM

RED DEER, AB – Big steps were taken by the Medicine Hat College Rattlers soccer program this fall, but once again local teams are on the outside looking in on the ACAC playoff picture.

The Rattlers men’s and women’s teams both failed to qualify for the ACAC playoff tournament, ending their seasons at Red Deer College on Sunday.

After blanking the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings 3-0 on Saturday, the Rattlers had a shot at qualifying for playoffs in Red Deer needing a victory over the Kings.

However, a pair of second half goals by Turner Johnson and Nathan Swartz would be enough for Red Deer to post a 2-0 victory over the Rattlers to grab the ACAC South’s final berth.

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Joao Vitor Duz Batista only faced four shots in his final test of the season, allowing two goals in the 50^th and 71^st minutes.

Sunday’s game was also the final appearance in a Rattlers jersey for graduating defender Mason Antler, who subsequently was named Medicine Hat’s player of the game.

Capping off the 2019 season with a 5-5-2 record and 17 points, MHC saw an improvement of four points from the previous season.

The Rattlers women’s team meanwhile knew their fate going into Sunday’s contest, as they saw their playoff hopes dashed on Saturday in a 5-1 loss to the Vikings.

Playing with nothing left to lose, the Rattlers turned in one of their best offensive performances of the season with a 6-0 victory over the Queens in their finale.

Shelby Bach and Maisa Rebello each had goals in the first half to stake MHC to a 2-0 lead over Red Deer College, which was followed up by a Rattlers offensive explosion in the second half.

Midfielder Barbara Nascimento scored her first goal of the season in the 50^th minute to make it a 3-0 game, while Aleena Matthews stepped up 17 minutes later for the Rattlers’ fourth goal of the afternoon.

The Rattlers wrapped up their season with two more goals in the 69^th and 72^nd minutes from Grace Porter and Atlanta Evis to end the season on a positive note.

Goalkeeper Amanda Oevering was also able to register her fifth clean sheet of the 2019 season, stopping all five Queens shots that came her way.

MHC’s women’s soccer program saw an improvement of 11 points this fall, jumping from a 2-9-1 record in 2018 to a 5-4-3 showing this year.

Edmonton’s NAIT Ooks will play host for ACAC provincials, which will run from Thursday to Sunday in Alberta’s capital.