After a split series to open the season, the U of M Bisons women’s soccer team headed to British Columbia looking to pick up some valuable points in the standings. Instead, after a pair of losses, the herd came home empty handed.
Friday
An early marker gave the Bisons hope, but four unanswered goals crushed those dreams Friday as Manitoba lost 4-2 to the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades in Abbotsford.
Rookie defender Stefanie Young continued to impress for the herd, picking up her second goal of the season, while Jessica Tsai scored in her second straight game.
It was Tsai who struck first early in the opening half from long range. Nicole Davis sent a pass to Tsai who put a shot hard toward the goal from 35 yards out. The ball arced out of UFV keeper Joven Sandhu’s reach and in for the 1-0 Manitoba lead in the sixth minute.
The Cascades replied late in the half to start a landslide. The first UFV goal came from Bryana Buttar taking advantage of a bad rebound in front of the Bisons net to tie the game 1-1 in the 29th minute.
In the 41st minute a Brittney Zacharuk cross was redirected in by Katie Lampen to give the Cascades the lead, followed by a Tavia Jasper marker — again set up by Zacharuk — to make it 3-1 UFV at the half.
Simi Lehal scored in the 62nd minute to make it 4-1 Cascades before Young responded for the herd.
Davis again picked up the assist, setting up Young for a goal in the 90th minute, cutting the deficit to 4-2 UFV before the final whistle.
Saturday
There is a reason the Trinity Western University Spartans women’s soccer team is ranked third in the nation, and it was on full display Saturday in a 5-0 drumming of the visiting Bisons.
Rachel Hutchinson led the way for the victorious Spartans, picking up a hat trick in the win.
She got down to business early with a goal in the sixth minute to open the scoring and picked up her second in the 32nd minute to give Trinity Western a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Things went from bad to worse for Manitoba in the second half as Gabi Short extended the Spartans lead to three with a goal in the 61st minute. Maddie Low scored in the 81st minute for Trinity Western and Hutchinson completed her hat trick in the 90th minute to seal the 5-0 Spartans win.
Trinity Western controlled the game from the first whistle to the last, outshooting the Bisons 25-5 throughout the match. Of Manitoba’s five shots, only three were on the mark, while 18 of Trinity Western’s shots made it on goal.
With the losses on the weekend Manitoba dropped to 1-3 on the season and sit tied for fourth in Canada West’s prairie division.
The Bisons return home next weekend for a pair of games. Game one of the weekend is Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. CDT against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. Game two is the following night at 7 p.m. CDT against the UBC Okanagan Heat.
