Thunder Athletics Weekly Recap - Week 10

In the final week before heading into Reading Week, the Thunder had basketball, cross country, hockey, and women’s soccer all in action. Here’s what went down before the break:

Basketball

It was a weekend of domination for both women’s and men’s basketball as they each took both their games vs. Red Deer on Friday and Ambrose on Saturday.

For the Thunder women, they controlled the game end-to-end on Friday, earning a 74–32 win over Red Deer with strong team ball movement and defensive pressure. Chloe Sutherland led the way with 21 points, while Rylie Stewart added 15 and the Thunder finished with 21 assists as a team. Concordia’s defense held Red Deer to just 21.7% shooting, creating consistent transition opportunities and momentum throughout the night. Saturday night on the road, Concordia (CUE) closed the game strong with a 26-point fourth quarter to secure a 72–68 win. Haley Cleland and Megan Jetzke led the offense with 18 points each, while Sutherland continued her case for ACAC player of the year, adding 14 points and a team-high 10 steals to spark the defense. The Thunder’s pressure forced 22 Ambrose turnovers, helping swing momentum late and seal the victory. After their strong play this past weekend, CUE Women’s Basketball’s record is a perfect 7-0 to start the year, owning first place in the ACAC North Division.

For men’s basketball, the Thunder earned their win of the season at home by a final score of 71–63 Friday against the Red Deer Kings. Shak Jama led the Thunder with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Keellaa Gatwech and Malik Edwards added 11 and 15 points respectively. Concordia controlled the boards 50–37 and found key stops in the third quarter to build the separation needed to close out the game. The men continued their success on Saturday, earning a 95–94 win in overtime over the Ambrose Lions. Keellaa Gatwech was effective on both sides of the ball for the Thunder with 28 points and 9 rebounds, while Malik Edwards added 26 points, and Shak Jama contributed 15 points and 9 assists. Concordia hit 15 threes and outlasting the Lions in the final stretch of the game. Men’s basketball is now 2-5 on the season and holding 5th place in the ACAC North Division standings.

Thunder basketball will take their win streaks on the road this coming weekend, heading to Briercrest on Friday night, followed by playing in Medicine Hat on Saturday

Cross Country

It was CCAA National Championship weekend for Thunder cross country, as Ashlee Walker looked to finish her fantastic season with a CCAA medal individually, while the CUE men’s team tried to get a CCAA team medal.

Walker had a strong race, ending up just outside the top 10 in the women’s 6km event, finishing 11th with a time of 24:04. She finished as the top female runner who represented the ACAC at the National Championships.

For the CUE men’s runners, the group was 13th overall in the team standings. Owen Stewart was a top runner for the team, ending his 8km run with a time of 29:23. Markus Boland and Joshua Chan rounding out the top 3 for the Thunder, with Boland finishing in the top 60 with a time of 30:20, and Chan finishing in the top 70 with a time of 31:12.

Now that the outdoor season is officially complete, CUE runners will prepare for their ACAC indoor track season, which starts January 24th at the Kinsmen Sports Centre.

Hockey

It was a tough weekend for Thunder hockey, as the team went 0-2, falling to Red Deer at home 6-3 and on the road 6-5.

The Thunder came out strong on Friday at Silent Ice Center, strricking first on an Isaac Leik goal and traded goals through the second period to arrive tied 3–3 after 40 minutes, with Riley See and Liam Dumelie each scoring for the Thunder. Red Deer then opened the third with three quick goals to pull away, and Concordia couldn’t recover as the game ended 6–3. Goalie Griffin Bowerman faced heavy traffic (47 shots) and made 41 saves, but Concordia couldn't mount a comeback.

On Saturday in Red Deer, the opening period saw both teams trade goals at a rapid pace, with Grayson Reid scoring twice to help Concordia keep up in a back-and-forth start. Isaac Leik added two goals of his own, including one on the power play, while Ryley Morgan scored late in the third as the Thunder generated 44 shots on the night. Special teams proved decisive, as Red Deer capitalized on multiple power-play chances and added a late shorthanded goal to edge the CUE 6–5.

Thunder hockey now holds a 2-6 record, good for fifth in the ACAC Hockey standings. They’ll have the week off before playing two games against University of Alberta Augustana on November 21st and 22nd.

Women’s Soccer

CUE Women’s Soccer was back again at CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championships for a second year in a row. 

Game 1 vs. was a nail biter right until the end against L’Élans de Garneau. Concordia battled hard, tying the match late in regulation with a well-placed olimpico goal from All-Canadian midfielder Vanessa Pietramala in the 79th minute. The game went into penalty kicks, where les Élans took the victory. 

In game 2 Concordia created a handful of chances but couldn’t find the net in a 4–0 loss to St. Clair. Taytum Busch made 4 saves in goal, and the Thunder held even in the second half shot count, but St. Clair capitalized on key moments to pull away.

In their final game of the tournament, it was all CUE, as the Thunder stormed their way past the Brandon Bobcats by a score of 7-1. After an initial 1-0 lead for the Bobcats, Vanessa Pietramala tied the game with her second goal of the tournament and the team never looked back. Vanessa Gomez and Sherlyn Melendez each scored once, while Abigael Burton and Ava Rudyk had two goals each to put the game well out of reach. 

It was the final tournament of the year for women’s soccer, who will train over the offseason to get ready for their ACAC title defence once more starting next September.