Box Score History was made on Saturday afternoon at IG Field, as kicker Maya Turner, in her second year with the Bisons football program, became the first-ever female to suit up, and score a point in a regular season U SPORTS football game. 

Her 21-yard field goal with 9:42 to go in the second quarter against the Regina Rams was the history-making moment, set up by 41 passing yards by starting quarterback Jackson Tachinski, and a ten-yard rush by the pivot. It gave Manitoba a 3-2 lead over Regina in a thrilling game that saw six different lead changes. 

Making #HERstory!

Maya Turner has just become the first female to record a point in a @USPORTSca regular season football game.

What a moment.

Congrats, Maya! pic.twitter.com/v5EWyrKsky

— Canada West (@CanadaWest) September 23, 2023

In storybook fashion, Turner also scored the game-winning field goal in overtime, nailing another 21-yard field goal to give the Bisons a 27-24 victory in front of 4500 passionate fans at homecoming. The win improves their record to 1-3, and they take over possession of the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference over the 1-3 Rams. Manitoba is now 9-1 in their homecoming game since IG Field opened in 2013. 

"I'm so excited. It was such an unreal experience," said a visibly emotional Turner postgame. "I think since the last field goal I've just been full of adrenaline and excitement. We won a big game, a tight game. The team fought all the way until the end. I'm just proud of everyone today."

"It makes me feel honored that [head coach Brian Dobie] trusted me in that position to make potentially a game-winning field goal," she added. "He trusts me under pressure, and he believed in what I could do. I heard the crowd scream really loud. I guess I didn't notice before. It just felt good to get some points on the board."

Overall, Turner scored nine points, hitting both field goals along with converts on all three of Manitoba's touchdowns. 

"What Maya accomplished today, she didn't have to just go out there and do her job and be another player, she had to be under the stigma of 'she better hit those [field goals and extra points]'," said Dobie. "She went out there and nailed it, and kicked the game-winning field goal."

All three Manitoba majors came courtesy of Tachinski, making his return to the lineup after an upper body injury suffered in week two against Alberta. He went off for a career high 323 passing yards, and 402 all-purpose yards, throwing a major to De Shawn Le Jour, and rushing for two scores. 

Manitoba controlled the pace of play, winning the time of possession battle 38:04 to 21:50, while also getting 36 first downs compared to 25 for Regina. Despite this, the Bisons trailed 9-3 at halftime, as the Rams made two third down stops in the first quarter. 

The two teams traded scores in the third, as Regina led 16-10 after a 27-yard Rylan Sokul major to enter the fourth. The score came after a 13-play drive from Manitoba that ended in the Le Jour touchdown grab in single coverage. 

That set the stage for a memorable final 15, where Manitoba led by as much as eight thanks to a combined 15 plays on offence that were both capped by Tachinski rushing touchdowns. The first score was thanks in part to a 30-yard rush from Tachinski on a third and one where he broke away from multiple defenders.

Overall, he rushed for a career-high 79 yards on just nine carries, while the Bisons churned out 245 yards on the ground overall. Vaughan Lloyd had 58 yards on just ten carries while Breydon Stubbs led all players with 88 yards. He's just two shy of 1,000 for his Bisons career. In the air, Tachinski connected with a career-high ten different receivers. 

Regina would tie the game with 35 seconds left, as linebacker Brayden Wagg threw a major to 6'7", 315-pound offensive lineman Ethan Graham, who made an impressive grab to take the game to OT. 

Regina got the ball first, and were held. The Bisons then drove the ball but Vinny De Rosa missed his third field goal of the game to keep the contest going. Regina then got the ball for the second overtime session but were held once more, setting the stage for the game-winning 21-yarder from Turner, aided by 16 rushing yards from Stubbs and Lloyd. 

"Coach [Vaughan] Mitchell called a great game, the offensive line protected me well. They gave me lots of time to throw in the pocket. It was pretty clean in there," said Tachinski. "My receivers just made plays. They were making all these crazy catches and just getting open. Honestly it was kind of easy out there because they made it easy. Those things go hand in hand. I was successful today because my teammates put me in a position to be successful."

Manitoba plays again at home this Sunday at 2 pm against 0-3 Calgary.