Jaartsveld's late strike lifts Huskies over Voyageurs

Late-game heroics from a Dutch student-athlete benefitted the Keyano Huskies Men’s Soccer team against the Portage College Voyageurs for the second time in September.  
 
With the hosting roles reversed Saturday and the games taking place in Lac la Biche, Alta., the Huskies won a tight 2-1 battle with Casper Jaartsveld’s first Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) goal providing the difference in the 81st minute after the Voyageurs had tied the game moments earlier.  
 
“We had a really strong first half and really strong moments in the second half as well,” said Head Coach Niels Slotboom. “Still a little bit of inconsistency that we need to get rid of so that we put teams away when we need to.
 
“Some great individual movement and some good finishing. The quality is there, but we now need to find some more consistency to push to that next level.”  

Stef Vullinghs continued his sstrong coring pace with his seventh goal of the season, which opened the scoring in the 25th minute Saturday.  

As for Jaartsveld, the goal was well earned according to Slotboom, who has seen his progress in adapting to the Huskies’ program.  

“He’s been working hard, had a rough start to the season and he’s starting to see some results for himself now,” Slotboom continued. “It’s been great seeing him come out of his shell a little bit as a player and as an individual.  
 
“I’m excited to see how he’ll do from here on out.”  
 
At 4-1-1 and winners of three straight games, the Huskies are surging heading into a high-profile weekend against the first-place Eagles from The King’s University. 
 
The Eagles are six points ahead of the Huskies, having played one more game, and have yet to lose in regulation this season. The matchup will also pit two of the conference’s top goal scorers against each other in Vullinghs and the Eagles’ Noah Bilodeau.

“This upcoming weekend is probably the biggest weekend for us against King’s,” Slotboom said. “They’ve done well so far and if we take those games then we’re in a driving seat for a playoff spot and have full control from there on out.  
 
“That’s the goal so it’s going to be a big weekend for us.”  

The Huskies and Eagles will clash at SMS Equipment Place this coming weekend. Friday's battle is scheduled to start at 8:15pm with Saturday's rematch scheduled for 4:15pm. Admission is free for all Keyano Huskies home soccer games.