Accelerators miss playoffs in inaugural season

Written by Clint Walper

The Saskatoon Accelerators came out flying, and then came to a grinding halt.

Saskatoon played an outstanding first half against the Edmonton Drillers only to see the Drillers dig in and mount a second half comeback en route to an 11-6 win at Credit Union Centre on Sunday afternoon.

The Accelerators finished their inaugural season in the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League at 4-6 and miss the playoffs.

The Drillers improved to 8-2 and take on the Calgary United FC in the league championship on Mar. 14.

"It was a better effort, overall," said Accelerators head coach Kevin Holness. "But that being said, we're still a million miles away from where we need to be and where I see the players we have competing at."

Jordan Gillespie sparked the Drillers with four goals. Oliver Brkin added two and Brett Chartrand and Mark Spiller scored once. Goalkeeper Tristan Ilko scored a three-point marker into an empty net.

Jerson Hamilton scored four times for Saskatoon, while Brett Bachelu and Benno Looft rounded out the scoring.

Saskatoon displayed some fine playmaking and finishing ability in securing a 4-1 lead after the first quarter.

After the Drillers closed the gap to 4-3 early in the second quarter, Hamilton's third goal of the game gave Saskatoon a 5-3 lead at halftime.

Hamilton scored a fourth marker to give the Acclerators a 6-4 lead early in the third quarter, but Gillespie replied with two quick goals to draw Edmonton even.

The teams played a chess match from there and remained tied until late in the final quarter, when Edmonton's Brkin broke in alone and scored to make it 7-6. Gillespie scored shortly afterwards to make it 8-6 and seal the win.

With under a minute remaining, the Accelerators pulled their goalkeeper and Ilko threw the ball the length of the field into the open net for the three-point score.

"We did some good things," said Holness. "Every game this year we did some good stuff, but we're not consistent and not at a level where we can consistently play a quality game for the whole game. We come and go in spurts and that's not going to win games against the best teams."

Following last weekend's disappointing showing and the Accelerators' inability to finish off the Drillers on Sunday, Holness lamented some of the team's shortcomings.

"I think the mindset of the players, and the level of ability, is definitely going to have to be improved," said Holness. "I think a lot of guys aren't ready to play at this level in terms of mental ability and professionalism to compete with the top teams for a whole game."

An offensive boost would be a welcome panacea for next season.

"If we build on the things that we do well, like working as a team, we'll be in good shape for next season," said Holness. "But we need more individual, attacking players with talent and skill to have that offensive threat. I think a lot of our guys showed they can play at this level and were consistent, but we still need to build on that and add some dynamic offensive players."
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