The Quest University Kermodes men's soccer team is out of the Pacwest playoff picture but head coach Jonas Worth thinks they might have a case for them to be included after a series of unusual events.
On Thursday (Oct. 20), it was determined that the Douglas College Royals had used an ineligible player and all 10 of the team's previous results were erased, giving each opposing team a 1-0 victory.
The ruling benefitted every team in Pacwest's Group A but helped the Kwantlen Eagles the most. The Eagles had played Douglas College twice in the first 10 games and the ruling gave them six additional points, vaulting them to third in the division.
It didn't work out as well for Quest and Langara, who had yet to play Douglas for a second time and only received three points apiece. Quest tied Douglas on Saturday (Oct. 22) and did not have a chance to catch Langara or Kwantlen, eliminating them from the playoffs.
"In every other league Douglas would have been thrown out of the league for the entire year," Worth said. "To turn the last-place team [Kwantlen] into a playoff team isn't fair."
Worth pointed out that Quest beat Kwantlen twice and by a combined score of 4-0 but it's the Eagles who will advance, not the Kermodes. Despite being basically eliminated, Quest defeated the aforementioned Eagles 2-0 on Sunday (Oct. 23) to close out the regular season.
"I told the boys that we're still in this if the politicians let us," he said.
He said that he planned to write a letter to Pacwest officials to plead Quest's case but it's unsure whether anything will change, with the provincials kicking off today (Oct. 28) in Kelowna. The team established a new school best record, with three wins, four losses and five ties, but failed to make the postseason.
At least one Quest team will be making the trip, as the women's squad clinched last week but ended the regular season on a sour note.
The women's team rolled off five consecutive wins to start the season but injuries and a lack of scoring haunted them for the rest of the season. They lost five and tied two to close out the year and finished in third place.
They continued their losing ways this weekend, dropping a 3-2 decision to Douglas on Saturday and a 1-0 loss to Kwantlen on Sunday.
"We're saving all of our luck for the playoffs," joked women's head coach Martina Franko following Sunday's loss.
Despite the poor second half of the season, the women's team also established a new school best, posting a final record of five wins, five losses and two ties. It's also the first time a Quest team has ever finished with a .500 or greater winning percentage in the regular season.
The Kermodes will take on the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack today (Oct. 28) in the first round of the provincials. The two teams met back on Oct. 16, with TRU winning 1-0. The winner of that game will take on Langara on Saturday (Oct. 29) at 1 p.m., with the loser heading home.
Visit The Chief online for up-to-the-minute results from the Quest women's team in their quest for provincial gold.
