OLDS – The Olds College Broncos took significant strides in both women’s and men’s soccer, and their efforts were recognized on Oct. 27 at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Soccer Championship banquet in Lethbridge.
The recognition is headlined by Allan Siwela earning ACAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year honours in his first season patrolling the Broncos sideline.
In addition, Siwela will be the ACAC’s nominee for CCAA Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year, which will be presented at the 2022 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship, to be hosted by Langara College in Vancouver.
He guided the men’s team to a 4-2-4 regular season record before falling in Tuesday’s play-in game against the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings.
Siwela also led the women’s soccer Broncos to the ACAC South play-in game, where they fell 2-1 to the SAIT Trojans on Tuesday.
“Allan has been a tremendous addition to our Men's and Women's Soccer Program,” said Trina Radcliffe, athletics manager at Olds College.
“As a first-year head coach in the ACAC, he has exceeded expectations on and off the field.
“His players and colleagues have tremendous respect for the impact he has had on the competitiveness, development and growth of our programs.”
On the field, four Broncos earned ACAC South All-Conference selections, two each from the women’s and men’s teams.
On the women’s side, second-year forward Tiona Paton (Morinville, Alta.) earned All-Conference status after finishing third in the South (fourth overall in the ACAC) with 16 goals as the primary offensive threat for Olds College.
Joining Paton on the All-Conference team is veteran defender Kassidy Kelly (Airdrie), who was an anchor on the backline for the Broncos while also scoring twice.
Turning to the men, Broncos captain Valentin Kirchner (Salmunster, Germany) earned All-Conference honours after scoring seven goals and serving as a catalyst for the Broncos throughout the pitch.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Mukolo (Edmonton) also received an All-Conference selection, as he provided a strong physical threat in keying the Broncos to a significant defensive improvement.
They gave up just 10 goals after conceding 11 in four fewer games in the 2021-22 season.
This article, edited by the Albertan, was written by Olds College sports Information and Esports coordinator Geordie Carragher.
