Brandon sweeps Providence out of provincial finals

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2023 (594 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twice the sounds of jubilant celebrations echoed throughout the Winnipeg Soccer Federation’s north facility after championship finals, and twice it was the Brandon Bobcats shouting in bliss, leaving the Providence Pilots to collapse in defeat.

The Bobcats swept the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) finals, with the women’s team winning 2-1 and the men’s team winning 1-0, both over the Pilots.

The finals had to be moved from their planned dates of Oct. 28/29 at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex due to unsafe field conditions after the province received a blast of early winter weather.

Both finals and semi-finals were played inside indoor facilities instead.

The women’s Providence team managed to take a 1-0 lead into the half-time break, despite getting outplayed by their Brandon counterparts.

Serena Negrich managed to head home a back-post corner kick to give Providence their temporary edge. Brandon would come out fierce in the second half, dominating possession as they searched to get back into the match.

The tying goal would come off the boot of Mackenzie Boyes, as she managed to flip an attempted cross over the head and outstretched arms of Pilots keeper Isabella Geith.

Geith would probably like the go-ahead goal back as well, as Kenadie Janzen scored the game winner from long distance. The Pilots keeper managed to get a hand to the ball again, but it trickled past her and into the net, as she pounded the artificial turf in frustration.

Brandon centre-back Tarin Ballan was named player of the match. Two players from the Eastman region, Ste Genevieve’s Emilie Dornez and St Pierre-Jolys’ Natasha Vermette took home gold medals as part of Brandon’s championship squad.

The men’s final came down to two moments. League player of the year Camilo Rodriguez managed to draw a foul inside the Providence mid-way through the second half, before slamming his penalty past a helpless Pilots keeper.

Rodriguez appeared to be no threat to score when he was fouled, but was well inside the box when he went down.

Another foul inside the box earlier in the game cut short Providence’s chances. After a long ball came flying in from a free kick, Bobcats goalie Matheus Souza missed his clearance, leaving the Pilots free to slot the ball home into a vacated net.

The goal was quickly called back, as the reason Souza missed his punch in the first place was a clear foul from Pilots attacker Joel Umeh.

Souza, who was named the championship player of the match, made a great save on another set piece attempt after Brandon took the lead, and a Garreth Rayner overhead attempt went just over the bar. The Pilots wouldn’t get another chance to get back into the game, as the Bobcats men’s team made it a Brandon double in the MCAC soccer season.

Despite both teams losing in the finals, it will be a year filled with hardware for members of both Providence soccer teams. Both men’s coach Biovanni Benitez and women’s coach Tory Walker were named coach of the year for their respective genders, as Providence finished first in the regular season standings in both genders.

Garreth Rayner and Laurianne Chiasson were named to the all-conference team, and Paige Heide was named as the conference player of the year. Heide, who hails from Steinbach, finished the season with 10 goals and two assists.

Julia Herperger was named as the team’s True Sport representative for the year.

The season isn’t over for all four MCAC finalist teams, as both Brandon teams will be heading to the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships and Providence is preparing for a National Christian Colleges Athletic Association regional qualifier in Minnesota.

The Pilots women’s team are the defending division two national champions in the NCCAA.