In a chilly Saturday afternoon contest, the University of Manitoba Bisons womens soccer team played to a 0-0 tie against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Led by Manitoba goalkeeper Holly Dyker, the Herd did not allow Saskatchewan much on offense, while the Huskies were equally at task against a Manitoba team with four players suiting up for their final weekend as Bisons.  

The Huskies came off strong at kick off. With the wind at their back, Manitoba frequently found themselves chasing the ball early.

Saskatchewan's first opportunity came on a picked off pass. The ensuing shot was efficiently defended by Dyker.

Later in the half, Dyker came up big for the Herd again.

A volley from Huskies midfielder Jade Houmphanh required the Bisons  netminder to dive across the goal, and punch the ball out of harms way. A second ball from Saskatchewan's Jenna Steacy also forced Manitoba's goalie to make a diving save.

At the other end, Manitoba made the most of their possession time.

Bisons captain Jessica Tsai had the Herd's best chance in the first. A midair volley from the fifth-year forward inside the goalkeeper's area was miraculously saved by Saskatchewan's Kalin Roberts who blocked the ball with her face, one of four saves in the half.

Tsai continued to create offense for Manitoba but was stymied by Roberts. Meanwhile, Nyema Prentice-Whyte had a couple good efforts, her best being a streaking shot that made it past Roberts but was cleared off the line by a Huskies defender.

In the second half, Saskatchewan once again hemmed Manitoba into their own end. Fortunately, the Bisons defended well against the Huskies forwards. Steady play on the back end helped create some brief pressure for the Bisons.

Manitoba's best chance came from second-year midfielder Mia Fonseca. She sent a header right on net, but Roberts once again made the difficult save.

Back and forth play dominated the rest of the half, with the score still tied 0-0 in stoppage time. With four extra minutes on the clock Saskatchewan yielded a free kick ten meters outside the box, giving Manitoba one last opportunity to take the lead.

Off the ensuing kick, Tsai passed the ball to defender Amra Becirovic. One-on-one against a huskie player, the true freshman worked it low then made a deceptive move that gave her room to make a play. Unfortunately, her chip floated just over the net, nullifying Manitoba's last shot at victory.

The Bisons offensive efforts were quickly shifted to defense as Saskatchewan immediately moved the ball down field with less than a minute left in stoppage time for one last crack at Manitoba's net.

On the Huskies most dangerous chance of the half, Dyker made a point blank save on the goal line to rob the go-ahead-goal from Saskatchewan, garnering cheers from the sideline and bleachers.

After the ensuing free kick went wide, the final whistle blew, meaning Manitoba had earned a point for the third game in a row.

After making a game saving stop to preserve the 0-0 tie, an exhausted Dyker remarked she was just trying to push through the final minute.

"I know I have to stay focused till the end," she said.

"It's saves like those [that show why] I have to stay focused for the whole game."

Dyker applauded her teammates performance. The Bisons limited Saskatchewan to only six shots on net, helping keep Canada West's third leading goal scorer Alyssa D'Agnone pointless.

Dyker wants to bring that energy once again for Sunday's final regular season match, especially for the Bison's four graduating players.

"It's just the same thing," she said. "[We need to] stay focused, push through and just leave it all on the field, and do it for our seniors."

Sunday's game will be the last for Tsai, Janelle Chomini, Camilla Goldsztein, and Alexandria Paul. Bisons head coach Vanessa Martinez-Lagunas admitted it would be an emotional match for the team.

Tsai and Paul have been with the Bisons since 2019, Chomini has suited up in 42 games for the herd, while Goldsztein scored the game winning goal in Manitoba's first game back after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 season.  

Aside from the on-field pre-game ceremonies, Martinez Lagunas explained the team has their own personal tradition for honouring departing players.

"During the pre-game talk, they will give a senior speech," she said. "Just words of wisdom from what they learned through all the years as a Bison to the new generation. It's always very emotional, so usually there is not a dry eye in the room, but we're really looking forward to it."

Manitoba will face the University of Regina in their final match of the season at Princess Auto Stadium. The last time these two teams played, the Bisons won 3-0 on the road.

Tsai had an assist for the Bisons in that game and will look to do the same in the final match of her career. The current Canada West shots leader has racked up a ton of helpers over the years and is now only one away from tying Olympic gold medalist Desriee Scott's program record 26 assists.