Robinson, Rodriguez claim BU honour

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This article was published 05/10/2022 (1281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ashley Robinson quietly took a big step in September.

The Brandon University Bobcats centre-back became the anchor of a young defensive unit with Emily Bussiere redshirting for the 2022 Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s soccer season.

While Robinson plays a less glamorous role than most, her work in the first six games didn’t go unnoticed. She was named BU’s female athlete of the month on Wednesday, while Camilo Rodriguez took the men’s honour.

“A little shocked. I wasn’t expecting it but definitely feels good,” Robinson said. “It means a lot for them to notice I’ve been stopping goals. I think my speed has helped me back there. I hope to keep doing that.”

The Minnedosa product, one of just two third-years on the team, shook off a 5-2 loss to St. Boniface in the season opener and helped the Bobcats limit opponents to just three goals over the next five games. Brandon won four and drew one to finish the month in second place.

Head coach Danielle Sanjenko moved all-conference midfielder Kylie Van De Woestyne back to her regular position after spending the 2021 campaign at left-back. The team also lost Trysten Anthony on the other side, so three players see a significant boost in responsibility every game.

“A lot of us are new. Molly (MacPherson-Blair) also hasn’t really played centre-back much,” Robinson said. “I’ve had to step up and kind of guide us and that’s been a big challenge but I think it’s paying off. Everyone’s playing super well back there and we’re starting to figure it out.

“I am the oldest on the team so leadership has come a lot to me this year especially, just guiding those girls to work hard.”

The Bobcats fell to third at 4-3-1 last weekend, however, losing 2-0 to Les Rouges and then suffering a 1-0 upset to Canadian Mennonite University. It’s tough to fault the women at the back for that, though, as a usually potent offence simply dried up for a couple of afternoons.

Robinson actually spent time as a forward against CMU and had a few scoring chances.

As it stands, the Bobcats have a comfortable cushion on the Blazers — seven points ahead pending Wednesday’s late game against the Pilots — but are quickly falling behind Les Rouges 6-1-0 for a shot at first place.

BU has four games left, including a home-and-home with CMU (2-4-0), an Oct. 15 home matchup with St. Boniface and an Oct. 23 season finale at Providence (5-2-1) before the two likely square off again six days later in the semifinals.

The Bobcats can mathematically clinch a playoff spot when ACC (0-7-0) visits CMU on Saturday. Now it’s about peaking when it matters most.

“Increased intensity in our practices and work extra hard,” Robinson said of the key to success. “The girls have to realize we want this and just put in the work to really show them what we got. I think we’re totally capable of making it to the final and winning the whole league.

“I want to go to nationals so bad, just travelling with the team, I love this team so much and it’d be a great opportunity for us. I think we have the skill so that’s what’s driving us.”

CAN’T STOP CAMILO

Rodriguez split the goal-scoring load with his big brother, Diego, last year.

Now in his sophomore season, he’s proving more than capable of doing it without the 2021 MCAC MVP. Camilo racked up nine goals in six September matches and is up to a league-leading 12 through eight.

He was a clear-cut choice for his second BU athlete of the month nod.

“It feels good that hard work pays off. It’s good people see it, recognize it. It means that I’m doing something good, doing something right and gives me motivation to keep going,” Camilo said, adding the goals are a little harder to come by after racking up eight in three matches.

“The first time you see them … everybody’s new, you don’t know what to expect. But after you started the second round, I don’t have as much time on the ball. Every time I get the ball, two or three guys are on me. I just got to practise to see what I got to do to get around it.

“… If I get the ball out fast, our midfield or other offensive players have a lot more time on the ball, have a lot more time to score or take a shot on net.”

The Bobcats have a comfortable hold on the top spot at 7-1-0 while Providence is 6-3-0 but only has three matches left. St. Boniface (4-2-1) has opened up a substantial lead on fourth-place ACC (0-5-2), which has two crucial matches with CMU (0-6-1) for the final playoff spot.

All signs point to the Bobcats being a heavy favourite to win their third straight MCAC crown.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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