Bobcats capture third-straight soccer crown

The stage was set for emotions to run high, possibly too high.

But the Brandon University Bobcats have been here before and knew how not to ruin a perfect championship Sunday.

They stayed calm and delivered a near-flawless 3-0 victory over the Providence Pilots, as seven BU seniors capped their Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s soccer careers with the program’s first three-peat at the Healthy Living Centre field.

“We just wanted to stay calm because if we got too excited, we’d make mistakes that we don’t normally make, so we wanted to keep our composure,” said third-year midfielder Mackenzie Boyes.

“It feels so good, so good. Especially our seniors leaving, Josie (Black), of course, has led us to nationals two years in a row before this. Molly (MacPherson-Blair), our captain, of course, Brogan (Henry), Tarin (Ballan), Em (Emilie Dornez), all of them are huge parts of our team, so it feels good to do this for them.”

The scoring didn’t come easily, at least not right away.

Both teams stayed structured for the first half-hour before all-conference striker Halle Owen broke through the Bobcat line, but shanked her shot well off target.

Brandon’s first good chance came just before the halftime whistle as Keashae Masters snuck past the Pilots’ backline and crossed to speedster Jorja Hoad for the opening goal.

Both teams hit crossbars early in the first half, Providence being the first on a header before Boyes blasted a free kick off the bar and Kenadie Janzen headed the rebound over.

They redeemed themselves at the 66th minute as Janzen curled a corner kick in, and Boyes, a former volleyball player, skied above everyone and headed it into the top-left corner.

“It was perfect. Especially because Prov’s thing is scoring headers on corners, it felt good to get it back,” Boyes said.

“You can feel the solid impact. And usually my eyes are closed when I’m hitting it, so when I open them and see it hit the back of the netting, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

BU clamped down defensively and protected the lead without conceding many good chances. Providence nearly headed one in late, but goalkeeper Black dove and tipped it over the bar.

A few minutes later, final-four MVP Henry crossed one in for Abby-Jo Wark to tap home and seal the victory.

“It’s amazing. It’s an unreal feeling,” Wark said. “Having, (as head coach) Diego (Rodriguez Sr.) said, the fresh legs in there to be able to run and get on the end of Brogan and Jorja’s passes and be able to get that goal at the end for our team.”

The Bobcats have unfinished business, though. They’re still seeking their first-ever win at Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationals, which take place on Nov. 5-8 in Red Deer, Alta.

“We just need to understand this isn’t the end. We haven’t won yet,” Boyes said.

“We need to keep our intensity for the practices and the games coming at nationals, and we need to give it our all. We can’t stop here.”

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