Rookie coach Luben wins MCAC honour
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2025 (190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manuel Luben’s impact clearly isn’t lost on anyone around the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference.
The rookie head coach led the Assiniboine College Cougars women’s futsal team to its first-ever playoff appearance this season. On Wednesday, he was named coach of the year.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Luben said. “I had (athletics manager) Lindsay (McLaughlin) calling me (Wednesday morning) and she gave me the good news. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I told her I owe this award to my players. They had a great season.”
Assiniboine College Cougars coach Manuel Luben was named MCAC women’s futsal coach of the year on Wednesday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)
The Cougars missed the soccer post-season but had a shot heading into the final weekend. They beat the powerhouse St. Boniface Les Rouges for their lone victory and had higher expectations entering the five-on-five indoor campaign.
They started the eight-game regular season with a 6-3 win over the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers and beat Les Rouges 4-3 on the second weekend.
AC secured its playoff berth by bouncing CMU 5-1 on the third of four match days.
“It was a little bit hard at the beginning because we were new here,” Luben said. “New players, new coach, but they adapted really well to the idea of being aggressive. All of my players are aggressive and they stuck to that idea. That’s how we were able to score more goals and win a couple of games.”
Luben had some key additions help, including the return of stout defender Megan Beswitherick. Former Brandon University Bobcat Kiyanna Arevalo transferred for academic reasons and quickly bolstered the Cougars’ lineup.
Arevalo hadn’t played for a while but said Luben helped her regain her love for the game.
“Especially for a team like this, you need someone that’s going to be extra motivated through the losses. The extra push makes you want to come,” Arevalo said.
“He is the reason I’m here every day. I cannot say anything bad about that man. he is here every day with a smile, giving 100 per cent because he loves this team and so do I.”
Assiniboine’s first post-season berth comes at a good time as it plays on home court against the Brandon University Bobcats on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The other semifinal features the Providence Pilots and Les Rouges at 5 o’clock.
On the men’s side, the Cougars claimed the No. 3 seed and play the Blazers at 1 p.m., after the Bobcats face the coach of the year, Seif Dhaoui, and the top-seed Les Rouges at 11 a.m.
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
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