Box Score WINNIPEG, MB - Some dramatics under the lights at the University of Manitoba Turf Fields didn't deter the Manitoba Bisons women's soccer team on Saturday, October 11.
By beating the Canada West Prairie Division-leading Calgary Dinos 3-2, they came up with not only their best win of their season, but maybe their most important as well.The win moves Manitoba to 4-4-2 and 14 points, while Calgary finishes their regular season at 6-2-4. Manitoba is four points back of Alberta and Saskatchewan for the last playoff spot. The Bisons play their final two games on the road against eighth-place Lethbridge, while Alberta plays at second-place MacEwan and Saskatchewan hosts a Regina team also fighting for a spot with 14 points.
The chips may fall in Manitoba's lap, but getting this win against Calgary is what keeps them in the hunt.
"I am very proud of this team. We just played the best team in our conference and yesterday we showed we can tie, today we showed we can win against them," said Bisons head coach Vanessa Martinez Lagunas. "We came back, we were down several times."
"The attitude that the team showed today, it was amazing."
Manitoba got two goals from freshman Bruna Mavignier, giving her seven on the season, which puts her tied at third in the conference for goals scored. The game-winner came on the foot of Megan Graca. The Bisons also got two assists from Amanda Wong.
Calgary's first goal came on a Bisons own-goal. The other was scored by Emma Partridge.An October wind played a huge factor in this game. With gusts of up to 50 km/h, each team spent a half with a significant advantage at their back. The Bisons got that advantage in the first half, but 20 minutes in a Calgary corner found its way behind keeper
Martina Arran, going off the body of defender
Sara MacLennan and in to put the Dinos up 1-0.
Just two minutes after, though, Manitoba had an answer. Mavignier, who pulled out all the tricks on Saturday, booted a low shot inside the box to tie it up. With a minute left in the first half, the Bisons took a 2-1 lead - again with Mavignier being in the right place at the right time, heading in a goal after a mad scramble inside the Calgary box.
The Bisons missed an insurance chance in the opening moments of the second half, and Calgary looked frightening for most of the period with the wind at their back. At the 50-minute mark, Partridge put a shot in, and with bodies in the way, Arran made the save behind her goal line.
The game tied 2-2 with 10 minutes to go, Graca turned a long free kick against the wind into a stunning goal, as she pushed a high spinner over the hands of Dinos keeper Sam Chang-Foidl to give the game its final score.
The second half was not without scary moments for Manitoba, though, as Calgary had 10 corner opportunities - two in penalty time - and many came dangerously close to goals. Martinez Lagunas is looking to ride that defensive momentum forward to the season's final weekend.
"We need to do our part and win those two games, give our everything. We're still in the fight and we need to do our best."
The Bisons women's soccer team finish their regular season next weekend at the University of Lethbridge on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18. Both kickoffs are 12 p.m. MDT.
