Critical weekend on pitch for Bison women

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This article was published 14/10/2022 (1402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba women’s soccer team is on the cusp of making history this weekend.

The Bisons, coached by Vanessa Martinez Lagunas, could earn the right to host a Canada West playoff game for the first time since the inception of the program.

Fifth-place Manitoba, 5-6-1, visits the eighth-place Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend set with a game against the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary Sunday.

The Bisons trail the fourth-place Cougars by three points and need to make up ground to finish ahead of Mount Royal and host the 4 vs. 5 play-in game scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22 in Canada West’s Prairie Division.

“I think we need to win both games in order to host and it’s very likely that it will be between Mount Royal and us,” said Martinez Lagunas on Friday. “There is still a small possibility for (sixth-place Regina), depending on the results.”

Saturday’s game between the Cougars and Bisons will be hotly contested.

“We are very close in all the statistics and in our previous results against common teams and so I think it’s going to be a really competitive matchup,” said Martinez Lagunas, in her 10th year as Bisons bench boss.

“Both of us are really strong in the midfield and we have some good goal scorers. I think our defence has been a little bit better than their defence, so if we can score and keep our defence strong, I think we’ll have a good chance.”

Manitoba’s chances improve sustantially if second-year forward Bianca Cavalcanti is able to continue her hot streak.

Cavalcanti scored five times in two shutout wins over the crosstown rival Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend and now has nine goals on the year, one off the school’s single-season record, held by Karli Colpitts since 2007.

Cavalcanti’s 18 career goals are tied for fourth all-time with Colpitts.

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One more goal and she equals Bruna Mavignier for third on the list. Caley Miskimmin holds the all-time record with 28 goals set between 2006-09 and followed by national team star Desiree Scott with 23 goals during the same time frame.

Aside from Cavalcanti, Martinez Lagunas said third-year midfielder Jessica Tsai, the team’s captain, has been a powerful force in 2022.

“She has been tremendous in the middle and winning lots of balls there and helping us offensively and defensively,” said Martinez Lagunas. “She’s also one of our set-piece specialists and already has three goals and three assists.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14