Bisons soccer head coach Vanessa Martinez Lagunas has built a strong reputation over the years of recruiting top-level international players to the U of M. Her track record was strengthened again this year with her biggest name to date: former India national team captain (senior and U19 level) Dalima Chhibber.

"I have a lot of international matches in my hand. And coming here and testing my capabilities alongside such a young and hard-working bunch under the guidance of coach Vanessa, I feel that definitely here I have come to make myself better," Chhibber, who arrived in Canada this week says.

"I'm here to play more matches and win a lot of matches here and to put my best foot forward."

The veteran of 47 caps and 12 goals at the national level was to join the brown and gold last season when duty called with her country's home squad.

"We made history in India by making it to the second round of Olympic qualifiers and I really wanted to be there to help make the difference. There were a lot of competitions and during the whole year I was busy with the national team and that's why I got here a year late. But with Vanessa, over the years I've been talking with her and I'm glad I'm finally here after a lot of hard work and obstacles."



Chhibber and Martinez Lagunas were originally connected through one of the latter's many FIFA contacts. The Bisons coach found out that the 21-year-old – who finished her bachelor's degree in psychology back home – was interested in pursuing a sports psychology degree abroad while also being able to hone her skills on the pitch. The University of Manitoba has a well-respected sports psychology department within the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, making Chhibber's academic decision a no-brainer.

"I want to introduce psychology in sports in India, because that is one field that is pretty much untouched. And as a player and with my personal experience, I feel that introducing psychology into sports is a very important thing because that can really enhance performance in a huge manner.

Training on the field and doing all the physical training does matter but I feel the mentality of a player plays a huge role too. From my playing and the academics, I really want to be able to go back to India to introduce that aspect to help players foster their growth in the sport."

On the pitch, the 5'6" midfielder brings a valuable scoring touch to the Herd. One needs to look no further than her 40-yard bend it like Beckham-style goal on a free kick against Nepal in the finals of the 2019 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship for evidence of her abilities.

"Since I started playing I've been a long-range scorer and I've always tried long-range shots," she says of the impressive tally that helped her earn the tournament MVP award.

"In India, football is still growing and because of this goal, women's football got a lot of recognition. It was a really great moment that I can't really put into words. It was the first goal of the match and I feel that it really helped us to get the win that day and gave us a mental boost. We walked out that day with the trophy in our hands for the fifth time."

Despite all of her accomplishments, Chhibber is heading into the 2019 season with a humble attitude as she attempts to help lead the Bisons back to the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

"As a player I would just like to put my best foot forward and provide the best both on and off the field. The main goal is just going to be to help keep the team together and as a new player on the team it will be more to interact with everybody and to make everybody comfortable with me.

On the field, I will leave the decision to the coach about whatever my role and responsibilities will be. I have the experience of playing in a lot of positions, even for the national team, so I will adapt to whatever the coach is expecting of me."

You can catch the Bisons regular season opener on Friday, Sept. 6 with Manitoba hosting Saskatchewan at 7 p.m. at the West Turf Fields.