WINNIPEG — The Manitoba Bisons (3-7-3) suffered a tough loss in women's soccer as a late goal lifted the UBC Thunderbirds (6-3-4) a hard fought 2-1 road victory on Saturday, October 22 afternoon. After Alanna Shaw tied things up for Manitoba in the 76th minute, UBC managed to storm right back and capitalize on a defensive breakdown for the late go-ahead goal.

Bison goalkeeper Maddie Wilford faced 11 shots on goal and made nine saves in the loss, as the Bisons' playoff prospects took a massive hit with just one game remaining on the regular season. On the other side of the pitch, Marlee Maracle made three saves on the day for UBC.

"I'm really proud of our team because they fought with everything they had," said Bisons head coach Vanessa Martinez Lagunas."We created our chances and I think it was really nice how we came back in the second half to tie the game."

"Overall a great battle by the girls. [The UBC Thunderbirds] is a top quality team, they are the defending national champions so we should be really proud of how we played and we were extremely close to getting that tie."

UBC trying to spring their forwards past the Manitoba defence in the opening five minutes. Their best chance early came with Jasmin Dhanda breaking in on the Bison net and getting off a great shot, but Wilford played it perfectly and kept the ball. UBC's sustained attack continued as Amelia Crawford launched a hard shot from up close at which Wilford absorbed. Crawford would get another opportunity in the 14', but her shot would cross right in front of the bison goalmouth and out of bounds.

Manitoba's chances to start the game were few and far between with UBC snuffing out the threats. But after the visitors dominated the first half of the opening half, Manitoba started coming alive thanks to spirited play by Selina Speranza and Bruna Mavignier to push the ball down the field. But the Thunderbirds countered by shadowing the two Bison strikers anytime they made a play on the ball.

UBC continued to dominate possession in the first half, thanks to pinpoint passing that broke down the Bison defences multiple times, forcing Wilford into action eight times. All the pressure finally broke at 44', as Dhanda blasted a shot to the top-left corner from the middle of the box to give the visitors a 1-0 edge heading into the half.

Manitoba came out aggressive to start the second half, attempting to set the tone early and hopefully get a quick tying goal. After subbing out midway through the first half, Speranza re-entered the game with fresh legs and had a few good runs early. But the UBC backline held strong and did a good job of shutting down the Manitoba attack.

After that early flurry of chances by the Bisons, UBC regained their sustained attack from the first half and generated some quality chances, but Wilford did well to keep the Bisons within striking distance to tie the game. The Thunderbirds kept pressing, as they reestablished their game plan from the first half, completing crisp passes on offence and keeping the Bisons pinned along the sidelines as much as possible when defending. A great chance came in the 69' minute, as Sara Schur collected her own rebound and would have had a clear shot on a wide open net — if not for the fantastic hustle by the UBC defence to get back, support their keeper, and block the shot.

But Manitoba finally broke through the hardened UBC defence at 76', as Sara MacLennan lobbed a beautiful pass to Alanna Shaw, who deftly played the ball across into the from up close for her first goal of the season. 

"I kind of got a touch as the center back was right on me," said Shaw, "I turned and just volleyed it into the net."

The goal gave new life to the game, as both teams stepped up their intensity to pick up that crucial go-ahead goal. Ultimately it would be UBC capitalizing on a defensive breakdown right in front of the Bison net, as Shayla Chorney jumped on the loose ball and put it past Wilford at 84'. 

Bison rookie Hailey Lavarias nearly scored a miraculous goal from over 40 yards out with a shot that seemed destined to find the top-left corner, but Maracle read the shot well timed her jump perfectly and snagged it. Martinez Lagunas had glowing praise for the first-year player's hard work throughout the season. 

"She earned her spot late in the season, so she has been pushing really hard in training and she earned the opportunity to start," said Martinez Lagnunas. 

"And you saw what she can do. She has amazing skills with the ball, really light feet, really smart player. And again, I'm really proud that they never put their heads down and they kept fighting until the final whistle."

Both teams play the backend of their weekend series. On Sunday, October 23 at 11 a.m., Manitoba gets right back to action at the West Turf Fields on the U of M campus, hosting the Victoria Vikes. UBC travels across town to play the Winnipeg Wesmen at the same time.

Game MVPs:
Manitoba - 10  Alanna Shaw
Mount Royal - 9 Jasmin Dhanda

STATS:
Shots
Manitoba: 6 (4)
UBC: 17 (11)

Corners
Manitoba: 1 
UBC: 6

Cardings
Manitoba: Sara MacLennan (yellow)
UBC: None