ACC Cougars chase futsal playoffs
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2024 (613 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Kiana Gunnarson is glad to wear the same colours as Summer Olson and Kaitlyn Stevenson this futsal season.
“(Olson) has a hard shot, definitely. She has good footwork. Same with Kaitlyn, hard shot. I took a shot to the face from her last year — bloody nose,” Gunnarson chuckled. “So very intimidating, but I love playing with them.”
The trio is set to lead the Assiniboine Community College Cougars through the eight-game Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference campaign and chase their first final-four berth.
Minnedosa native Summer Olson led the Assiniboine Community College Cougars women’s soccer team in scoring and was named to the MCAC all-conference team in the fall. She leads the Cougars into the futsal season starting on Sunday in Winnipeg. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
The first of four match days is Sunday when the Cougars play the Providence Pilots at 12:45 p.m., and host Canadian Mennonite University Blazers at 4:15.
The Cougars went 0-12-0 in the outdoor soccer season, but have elevated expectations for the five-on-five indoor game where the premium is more on top-end talent and less on depth. The weakest links of the 11 players on the pitch simply don’t have to play in futsal.
“We’re hoping to be more competitive than we were during the soccer season for just that reason,” said Cougars coach Mark Dabbs. “Playing five a side, we feel like we have enough girls that can play at this level.”
Dabbs said Gunnarson, Olson and Stevenson’s games translate well to futsal.
“They don’t seem to get fatigued,” he said. “They all have a two-way game, offence, defence transition well, good vision.”
The indoor game takes some getting used to, so older players have an advantage. Gunnarson noticed that as a rookie last year, playing futsal for the first time. Now, she’s helping the rookies get up to speed while stepping into a bigger role.
“It’s a different mindset for sure. It took some getting used to, but I love being in the gym and love the energy,” Gunnarson said. “I had to slow my speed down. I’m pretty fast being a defender so I had to learn to slow it down being in the gym.”
The Cougars get to stay home for Jan. 20 games against Brandon University and St. Boniface, then head to Winnipeg and Niverville on Feb. 4 and 17, respectively, for the second half of the season.
Kiana Gunnarson dribbles during ACC women’s futsal practice on Wednesday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
The two-day playoffs are scheduled to start on March 9 at BU. Dabbs usually travels that week, but his wife agreed to push their plans back.
“We want to be around on championship weekend,” he said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve made the final four in soccer or futsal.”
He added, “I think we’re going to be there.”
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5