Borne out of confidence and opportunity, Sitchet's emergence comes at perfect time for Griffins
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 1 |
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0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats
Thompson Rivers
| Game Statistics | Thompson Rivers | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 10 (2) | 11 (0) |
| Saves | 0 | 1 |
| Fouls | 16 | 15 |
| Corner Kicks | 7 | 8 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – While Griffins men's soccer head coach Adam Loga has long believed in Alain Sitchet's talent, after his breakout weekend, outside observers surely would have a right to say, 'where did this guy come from?'
Sitchet was MacEwan's best player in back-to-back games on the road at UFV and Trinity Western Sept. 13-14 – bagging two points in the latter match – which is the first time he's hit the boxscore since joining the Griffins in 2024.
"He was super confident," said Loga. "I think that was the biggest thing I noticed. We always knew he had it in him, but just the confidence he played with, the willingness he had to bring down the ball, hold up the ball.
"He just wasn't in a panic or frenzy at all. It was great to see."
Sitchet will lead MacEwan into home action this weekend vs. Thompson Rivers on Saturday and UBC Okanagan on Sunday (both 2:30 p.m., Clarke Stadium, Canada West TV). Sunday is Minor Soccer Day.
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Sitchet, who played 135 minutes of action over the two games last weekend, noted he was fueled by a heckling Trinity Western crowd as he scored in the 70th minute and saw the rebound off his extra time blast put home by Felix Guité.
"To try to close the deficit, get us closer, keep us in the game, especially in that atmosphere," he said of his extra motivation. "The opposing fans kept chirping us, reading from the roster, trying to get in our heads. So just (went out) to prove them wrong."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Soccer (@GriffinsMSOC) September 14, 2025
They don't ask how ...
Alain Sitchet gets rewarded for pressuring the keeper as he puts the @MacEwanGriffins on the board in the 71st minute!
Griffins trailing @TWUSpartans 2-1 late in the contest.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/DfaIIywa9C
That led to him rushing the keeper in the 70th and jamming it through his legs before he could move the ball.
"In that case, we had a numerical advantage (up top), so we were definitely telling him to go," said Loga. "We know his closing speed. We know when he goes, he goes. He can close that distance pretty quickly."
Then, with the Griffins trailing 3-1 in extra time, he darted through a seam into the middle of the field and unleashed an off-balance shot that the keeper laid out to get a hand on, but Guité put the rebound home.
"I was just kind of like, 'let's not end the game without fighting, without trying,' " he said of the play. "So, I just tried to go for goal and tried to get something from it. Luckily, Felix was there. I was pretty happy."
GOAL��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Soccer (@GriffinsMSOC) September 14, 2025
Felix Guité pots the rebound off Alain Sitchet's shot to give the @MacEwanGriffins life in extra time.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/SbjWJNT74G
Sitchet brings a ton of life experience that others haven't had as he was born in Raleigh, N.C. before moving to Zimbabwe at the age of five. At age 16, he moved with family to Canada and attended high school in Stony Plain (Memorial Composite).
"We had to move quite a bit growing up because of my dad's job," he said of his father's United Nations work, helping with conflict in war-torn countries.
After learning the game of soccer in Zimbabwe – ("I would say it's pretty physical, fast paced, very athletic," he said of that country's style) – Sitchet had no idea where to play in the Edmonton area, so his first year after arriving was in community soccer.
Predictably, he scored a lot – 12 goals in seven games.
After that, he joined Edmonton Juventus and Southwest United before getting an offer from Loga to play for the Griffins, but he decided instead to go the NCAA route, playing Div. III for Elms College in Chicopee, Mass.
"It was pretty cool," he said of the 2023 season. "My first year I got to start pretty much every game, but unfortunately I got injured towards the end of my time there. I was kind of missing home as well – my friends and family here – so it was like 'let me come back.' "
Loga kept the door open, adding him last season.
M⚽️| RECRUIT
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) June 19, 2024
After a season in the NCAA with @ElmsBlazers, @YEGjuventus @SWUSoccerYEG product Alain Sitchet of Raleigh, N.C. is returning to his home away from home (@MemorialComp grad) to join @GriffinsSoccer.
Welcome to @MacEwanU!#GriffNation
STORY➡️https://t.co/gxjRGM7PZc pic.twitter.com/nUrBUh5g6W
"From being injured to my first season here, I wasn't really well adjusted, I'd say, but I feel like I've found my confidence more as this season's gone on," said Sitchet.
Which of course, comes with some good-natured ribbing from the coaching staff.
"He found his form and I've kind of said to him jokingly at practice, 'what did you eat before the game? How much sleep did you get,' " said Loga. "I said work backwards from kick-off and try to emulate that again.
"We have the sport science nowadays to look into those types of things, but old school days, it's like 'I played a great game. What did I eat?' And you kind of look back and find that routine."
The Griffins (0-5-2) will be looking to build momentum off a late-game surge against Trinity Western last Saturday as they host two fellow winless teams – 0-7-1 Thompson Rivers and 0-5-1 UBC Okanagan.
"We couldn't ask for a better matchup with where we sit to try to keep building," said Loga. "We promised ourselves we're getting better each week – definitely not being outplayed. It's just a couple things here and there need to go our way, and we need to bear down on a couple things like set pieces.
"We should be confident facing anyone."
