Assiniboine women strive for more offence

The Assiniboine College Cougars are done sitting back and fending off a steady stream of scoring chances.

This Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s soccer season, as the Cougars welcome opponents to their new home, head coach Manuel Luben is aiming to light up their brand-new scoreboard.

Assiniboine opens the regular season on Cougars Field at the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex on Saturday against Canadian Mennonite University at 1 p.m., with most of its veteran players in forward positions.

“Last year, I didn’t have the numbers. This year, I have the numbers and a whole defensive line that I’m happy about,” Luben said.

“I’m pushing AC to be a more aggressive team; that’s my main goal. My idea is to qualify (for) the semifinals, at least.

“Most of my players, they are used to just defending, but I’m the kind of coach that likes to push them into attacking mode because my idea is to score more goals this year.”

The Cougars are building off a promising rookie year for Luben as they made the MCAC futsal playoffs for the first time. Veteran Kiyanna Arevalo followed her all-conference soccer season with a futsal player of the year nod.

This fall, she’ll have Angela Fetsch and Megan Beswitherick join her up front.

Luben said it’s possible because he is confident enough in the new defensive unit of Rumor Nasecapow, Tasmine Martinez-Okemow, Lexie Constant, and Jamaykah Miller.

“We have some good girls that came up from the north, and they’re pretty great defenders, especially Lexi, she has a great shot and slide tackles. She’ll put her body on the line,” Arevalo said. “Same with Jamaykah, she will put her body on the line, so having those defenders, we’re able to push our more attacking players up.”

Arevalo joined the program last year after moving to Brandon during the COVID-19 pandemic to play for the Brandon University Bobcats. She stayed in town but took a few years off before enrolling in AC’s culinary program to play last year.

Meanwhile, she worked on nursing prerequisites behind the scenes and is now in the college’s two-year program with plans to grow with this young Cougars squad.

She’s certainly excited to see nearly two full lines of players at training sessions this year.

“It’s great, especially since I remember last year we played one game with eight people on the field,” Arevalo said.

“With a good starting 11 coming off, we still have those extra players to come fill those spots instead of playing men down and basically running for our lives out there.

“Memo (Luben) worked from last year to get so many girls out here. For us to have 20, 22 people coming out to practice is a miracle.”

The Cougars will have big holes to fill in the midfield but will return veteran goalkeeper Michelle Omand with 2025 Crocus Plains graduate Madison Filipowich backing her up.

The Cougars stay home on Sunday to face the Providence Pilots and play the Bobcats on Sept. 17 in their lone mid-week evening match of the 12-game campaign.

They only have one double-header weekend spent entirely on the road and close the season on Oct. 19 at home against BU.

“That was the main motivation for the players to come to AC this year, they knew we had a beautiful facility, this complex is amazing,” Luben said. “They knew that, so they wanted to be here, and we will take advantage of this place as much as possible.”

The playoffs take place on Oct. 25-26, with the No. 1 seed hosting the championship weekend.

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