Midfielder Mackenzie Georgsen of Langdon was a member of the SAIT Trojans women’s soccer team, which recently placed third at the 2021 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships at Humber College in Toronto. .
A competitive Rocky View County soccer player ended her college career with a national bronze medal.
Mackenzie Georgsen, of Langdon, was a member of the SAIT Trojans women’s soccer team, which recently placed third at the 2021 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championships at Humber College in Toronto.
“I’m really moved, excited and looking forward to bringing home a bronze medal for SAIT and representing them,” said the 20-year-old midfielder, who grew up playing for Chestermere United FC, as well as the High School Chestermere Lakers.
“Personally, I wasn’t sure what to expect going to the nationals and how successful we were going to be against the other teams, but winning a bronze was amazing so I feel great.
Georgsen scored one of the Trojans’ three goals in their bronze medal win over the Fanshawe Falcons on November 13, recovering his header at the end of a corner kick and redirecting the ball into the net .
The header marked Langdonite’s second goal at the CCAA National Tournament, having previously scored against the Capilano College Blues in the previous game. SAIT then won against the Blues in a shootout after a 2-2 draw to secure a berth in the bronze medal game.
The 2021 season marked Georgsen’s second campaign with the Trojans, having joined the Calgary team in the fall of 2019. She had a stellar start to her postsecondary football career, registering four goals and five assists during the season. of his first five games.
But the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 put Georgsen’s second season with the Trojans at risk. With the pandemic preventing sports from being played throughout Alberta, she could only look at the cancellation of the 2020 season.
As her academic program at SAIT was only two years long, Georgsen said she believed that meant her days of playing with Trojans were over.
“I was taking a diploma course for the architectural technology program, so when the pandemic hit obviously school was structured differently and football was canceled altogether which was pretty devastating,” he said. she declared.
“Knowing at that point that I wasn’t going to come back to SAIT – I was just finishing my program – it was really upsetting and devastating not being able to play another year and be even more successful collectively and individually.
But in the spring of 2021, Georgsen said she decided to pursue a certificate program to extend her stay at Calgary college by one year, allowing her to play a second season with the SAIT soccer team.
“I didn’t really know what my plan was and a last minute decision I made was that I didn’t really want to start my career yet, so I applied for the Certificate in Management and Leadership at SAIT,” she declared. “It’s a one year thing, so I decided to do it and play another year of football.”
It is a decision that clearly paid off. The SAIT women’s soccer team recorded an undefeated 6-0-0 season in 2021, before winning their first Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championship in 19 years on October 30, when the Trojans defeated the NAIT 1-0 Ooks for the ACAC title.
“We obviously had a 6-0 record since the regular season [into playoffs] and playing against NAIT we came out on top and were ready to compete, ”said Georgsen. “We knew it would be a very good game, and obviously a close game, too. But we realized after winning that we haven’t won since 2002 … so it was pretty awesome to have our name on that trophy and to represent SAIT.
Despite playing as a starting midfielder, Georgsen was a key member of the Trojans’ offense in 2021, scoring twice in five regular season games, in addition to contributing with a goal and an assist. in the ACAC playoffs and his two goals at the national championships. .
She said she had felt privileged to be a member of the SAIT soccer team, adding that the experience had made her more confident.
“I think I’ve not only learned to be a lot more confident and comfortable with who I am and who I want to be in this life, but it just shows that I want to work hard,” she said. . “When you train all the time and try to juggle school, I think it taught me a lot about how lucky I was to have been able to play for a college football team. “
Now that her playing days with the Trojans are behind her, Georgsen said she is reflecting both on her time with the team and on her future career.
“I never thought in a million years that I could play college football,” she said. “In my first year, I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to juggle school because I was going to SAIT to study, and that was my top priority.
“Not only will I leave SAIT with a diploma and certificate, but lasting memories. It has taught me so much and I am very honored and grateful to have had this experience in my life. I am more than grateful to the girls, my coaches, my family and my friends for supporting me.
