Bison kicker Turner named captain, shows she belongs

Even on nights like this, Maya Turner can appreciate how far she’s come.

Though it feels like yesterday that the Manitoba Bisons kicker arrived on the scene with an unheralded right leg and a point to prove, these days the fifth-year student-athlete is lining up to split the uprights with a veteran boot and the added responsibility of being a team captain.

Getting to this point wasn’t easy, though.

It’s now four years ago that Turner ditched her NCAA Division 1 soccer career at Loyola University in Chicago to kick a different ball on the gridiron and signed with the Bisons, who were one of more than one hundred programs across North America that she sent tape to in hopes of realizing a new dream.

The addition admittedly drew skepticism from her male counterparts who had never played this physical sport with a woman before. As fast as some were to question the acquisition, however, Turner was quicker to show she belonged.

A year later, in 2023, she made U Sports history when she became the first woman to suit up for a regular-season game and record a point. She would add to her legacy later in that game when she made good on a walk-off 21-yard field goal in overtime.

In 2024, Turner blazed another trail when she was named a Canada West All-Star, becoming the first woman to earn football all-star honours in any U Sports conference.

“It’s been a long journey, so far. It was a lot of new stuff at the beginning. A lot of getting used to so many new experiences, but I think just as every year went by, I just got more comfortable and just felt like anyone else on the team,” Turner said after the Bisons fell 31-6 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on a rain soaked field at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday.

This season, as Turner plays her final games with the Bisons, she finds herself settling into a newfound leadership role.

The decision to elect Turner a captain, made by head coach Stan Pierre and his staff, was announced to the team on the final day of training camp. Pierre listed the seven players who would comprise the team’s leadership group — Owen Miller, Kaleb Mackie-McLeod, Nic Pereira, Cole Anseeuw, Nathan Udoh and Sean Rowe — including the trailblazing kicker from Maple Grove, Minn.

“I think we all expected that,” said Pereira, a fifth-year linebacker. “She’s a leader on this team just as much as I am, just as much as Nathan is. So when we need her, she’s there to make her shots. But no one was surprised, we were all super happy for her.”

Turner has been a reliable source of points for the Bisons throughout her career, converting on 40 of her 52 field goal attempts (76.92 per cent), including a pair of career-long makes from 48 yards. But the numbers aren’t why she was given this captaincy.

“Maya does everything right,” said Pierre. “She’s a really good player. She trains hard. She doesn’t miss anything. Her grades are really good. She’s a great person. I’m not sure what else you’re looking for. She’s been an exemplary Bison throughout here career, and I wish all our players would follow her lead because she’s a prime example of the type of player I want on our team.”

Even with a prominent role, one thing Turner hasn’t changed is her quiet demeanour. She’s never been vocal and no one expects that to change soon. There’s something powerful about a player who teammates look to without her saying anything at all.

“I certainly know this: I trust her every time she goes out to kick the ball. We have so many different personalities, it doesn’t seem all that different for her to be the way she is,” Pierre said.

“She is the way she is, but I’ll you what, there has to be an inner confidence in her. I often say to the coaches (when) she’s warming up or something, ‘There’s the Division 1 athlete on our football team right there.’ That’s what she was, and she shows it in her work ethic.”

While Turner admits she still feels the pressure every time she suits up, it’s no longer a feeling that is drawn by a fear for being judged on whether she belongs. It’s the weight that every kicker feels when they are striving for excellence, and Turner certainly has achieved that.

“It’s just a huge honour to be named a captain by the coaches and just be able to feel like I have proven myself since I’ve been here and have earned the respect of the team and coaching staff,” Turner said.

***

Manitoba Bisons 6, UBC Thunderbirds 31

On the field, it was an uninspiring day for the Bisons offence, which illustrated some of the growing pains that can come with an inexperienced unit.

Manitoba failed to light up the scoreboard on offence. The team’s only points were three safeties conceded by UBC.

“We couldn’t get anything going on offence, and anytime there was an inkling of it, we took a penalty. Execution has not been great, but our discipline is, quite frankly, it’s embarrassing,” said, Pierre, whose youthful program dropped to 2-2 on homecoming weekend after committing 14 infractions for 121 yards.

“I’m not sure what the answer is for this group to learn that those things can’t happen against a good football team. (UBC is) very good, and they’re very talented, and we have to play our best. It’s not a hard game, you know? You see the field and the defence is holding the fort, holding the fort, holding the fort, but next thing you know, they are a short field, they make one play and they’re right there.”

After converting three first downs in the first half and facing a 25-2 deficit despite the defence forcing a pair of turnovers, Anseeuw was benched late in the second quarter. Second-year signal-caller Justin Sharp came in relief and played the third and half of the fourth quarter, but the offence didn’t fare much better during that stretch.

Anseeuw, who returned to action in the final frame and finished the game, tossed two interceptions while completing 10 of 19 passes for 104 yards. Sharp was two-for-seven for 26 yards.

“It’s not sustainable,” said Pierre. “We have to start winning some of those battles.”

First-year receiver Mikun Odunuga was a bright spot for Manitoba, hauling in four passes for 76 yards.

UBC did the bulk of its damage offensively in the second quarter. Running back Marvyn Larozar rushed for a seven-yard touchdown, and quarterback Drew Viotto tossed for a pair of scores — a 35-yarder to Owen Herle and a 17-yarder to Trey Montour.

Larozar rushed 18 times for 81 yards and the score, and added one catch for eight yards. Viotto tossed for two touchdowns and one interception, and completed 19 of 31 passes for 290 yards in the win.

The Bisons are building experience across the entire offence, including at the most important position. Anseeuw is in his first season as a the team’s full-time starter, while Sharp attempted one pass prior to Saturday.

That certainly doesn’t make the ebbs and flows any easier to endure, however.

“I need to see the film, and it seemed like we had clean pockets and plenty of time to throw the ball,” said Pierre. “So either people aren’t getting open or we’re not getting the ball. So it’s not just a matter of pushing the ball down the field. I want him to take what’s given to him, and I find it hard to believe it was nothing.”

The Bisons will head to Alberta to take on the Golden Bears (1-3) on Oct. 2.

winnipegfreepress.com/joshuafreysam