LAC LA BICHE - The Portage College Voyageurs men’s and women’s soccer squads kicked off their preseason over the Aug. 16 and 17 weekend with a series of exhibition games against the Universite de Saint-Boniface Les Rouges and the Assiniboine College Cougars.
The Voyageurs, who play in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), hosted the games in Lac La Biche for the special exhibition weekend. The games were part of a week-long road-trip for Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) teams.
For the Voyageurs women’s team, the weekend brought one tie, along with a 6-0 win. While the men’s team dropped their first game against St. Boniface, they made up for it with a 3-0 win against the Cougars.
The Voyageurs women’s team put up a strong defense as they took on the Universite de Saint-Boniface Les Rouges during a game on Aug. 16 at the Bold Centre sports turf field. Both teams each scored, with Dani Funk acquiring Portage College’s goal in the 1-1 contest.
The Portage College men dropped a 4-3 contest to the Universite de Saint-Boniface Les Rouges men’s soccer team in the match that followed later in the afternoon. Voyageurs players Dallas Dick, Ridwan Olatunji, and Taylor Bridger each scored in the match.
The meeting between the Voyageurs women and the Assiniboine College Cougars that took place under sunny skies on Aug. 17 started out with Funk - who is a homegrown athlete from Bonnyville - scoring two goals in the first 16 minutes of the match.
Funk would go on to acquire three additional goals for Portage College, while teammate Brooklyn MacGillivray scored one, to give the Voyageurs a 6-0 victory over the Cougars.
Funk was later named as one of the Voyageurs of the Week for her standout performance.
The Portage College men’s team secured a 3-0 victory against the Cougars. Early in the game, Bridger scored his second goal of the weekend. Another goal scored by Youssef Shedeed came before the whistle blew to end the first half of the match.
Near the end of the second half, Olatunji got onto the scoreboard for the second time in two days, giving the Voyageurs a 3-0 lead that they would maintain until the final whistle.
The Voyageurs’ soccer squads will be on the road on Aug. 22 for an exhibition double header against Ambrose University. The women play at 2 p.m. while the men hit the field at 4 p.m.
The teams begin their regular season on Sept. 6 with matches in Fort McMurray against the Keyano College Huskies. They return to Lac La Biche on Sept. 7 for the home opener against The Kings University. Game time for the home opening matches are 2 p.m. for the women and 4:15 p.m. for the men.
Macky Singh, head coach of both the Portage College men’s and women’s squads, said the weekend was a good one, and shows that the players have been getting ready for the 2025 season.
The games against Saint-Boniface on Aug. 16 went very well.
“The team we played against was really high intensity, and that’s the quality of opposition we’re going to face in the league,” Singh said. “So, that was really good to have a battle.”
As for the Aug. 17 games against the Cougars, Singh said they used to opportunity to focus on not being complacent, while also getting prepared physically for the regular season.
“We’ve still got about three and a half weeks away from our regular season, so we’re looking to build our fitness up right now,” Singh said, on Aug. 17.
Singh noted that Funk’s performance was a great confidence boost for the women’s squad.
While the Voyageurs did well in the exhibition matches, Singh said there is more work that needs to be done.
“We’re not going to get a competition like this . . . in our regular season,” he said, explaining that he will be working with the teams to get them fully ready for September.
However, compared to last season, the Voyageurs are ahead of the game, according to their coach.
“We’re already well ahead from where we were last year . . . So, you know, that’s where we want to continue progressing forward.”
The games on Aug. 16 and 17 marked the first time the Portage College men’s or women’s soccer teams have hosted institutions outside of the ACAC for exhibition matches.
“Hosting these two institutions is important for the Voyageurs soccer [program], as it demonstrates the positive direction both soccer programs are heading as we continue to strengthen and increase the competitive level of both programs and attract future potential recruits to the programs.”
