The Red Deer College Kings soccer team earned 6th nationally this month in Oshawa, Ontario. It was the first time that the RDC Kings have ever played nationally and the team was up for the challenge.

To start off, the Kings defeated the Holland Hurricanes in a game that came down to penalty kicks after it was initially tied at 1-1.

After that, the pressure was on to defeat the Durham Lords which would have advanced the team to the gold medal game; however, the Kings were just not quite able to get one in and the Lords took the win 2-0.

Head Coach, Wade Groenewegen says the loss was a little bit hard for the team.

“B side or bronze medal bracket it adds an extra game and four games in four days is honestly tough at the very best of times let alone when we’re dealing with as many injuries as we had,” said the coach.

Following the loss against the Lords, the Kings faced the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers for a chance to advance to the bronze medal game. Unfortunately for the Kings, goalie, Jacob Hamilton took a hard hit gaining a concussion that would leave him unplayable for the remainder of the season. Rhys Groenewegen stepped up in Hamilton’s place and the game ended at 3-0 for the Cavaliers.

Coach Groenewegen says that injuries were starting to stack up and affecting the roster altogether. Players were unable to play their usual position and it took a toll on the outcomes of the games.

“By the end of the tournament, we had dealt with three concussions, three ankles, one knee, and one foot. So, unfortunately, we weren’t in our normal shape for the tournament,” said Groenewegen.

With a smaller roster, the Kings were in rough shape as they went into their final game against the Humber Hawks in a fight for placement. In the end, the team’s injuries took a huge toll and the Hawks came out on top at 5-0.

Despite the losses and hard luck, Coach Groenewegen was incredibly proud of the team.

“Overall, the guys played great and represented us nothing short of awesome and I would coach those guys every day for 10 years I’m pretty sure. Just a fantastic group of boys,” said Groenewegen.

One thing is certain, the RDC Kings were able to make the team known nationally and their hard work and perseverance will not be forgotten anytime soon.