The Bisons soccer team continued their winning form in the return leg against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19. The Bisons dominated the match, scoring six goals and conceding two, to secure a 6-2 victory.
The Bisons started strong, scoring three goals in the first half. Taylor Sousa opened the scoring in the 8th minute [8:42], assisted by Tabata Bravo. Paris Sidhu doubled the lead just before the 26th minute [25:58], thanks to a pass from Bianca Cavalcanti. Cavalcanti herself scored the third goal, assisted by Bravo, in the 34th minute [34:07].
The Pronghorns seemed to be on the back foot, but they refused to give up. Goalkeeper Kate Prince’s free kick found its way to Bronwyn Pittman, who headed the ball into the net, reducing the deficit to 3-1. Just before halftime [45:00], Julia Reale’s corner kick was met by Chiara Duenser’s head, and she nodded the ball into the net, giving the Pronghorns a glimmer of hope at 3-2.
However, the Bisons’ momentum continued in the second half. Mia Fonseca scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Chloe Morin, in the 49th minute [49:21], bringing the score to 4-2. The Pronghorns tried to mount a comeback, but the Bisons’ defense was solid.
Bisons head coach Mark Colvin said, “On the defending side, I thought we were really organized. We’re not giving Lethbridge any space to play through us […] It was great that we were able to defend together and then have more possessions within the game. It’s something that we’ve been working on the last couple of weeks.”
Taleesa Minnaar scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Sarina Mann, in the 80th minute [80:10], giving the Bisons a 5-2 lead. In the final minute of the match [90:00], Minnaar completed yet another goal, assisted by Neesha Claire, securing a 6-2 victory for the Bisons.
Bravo shared how she was able to motivate her teammates before and during the match. “It’s just a matter of still wanting to score. I think everyone here was on the same page,” she said. “I told my attackers and I told my wingers, ‘Guys, I believe in you. I believe in myself. And that’s all we have to do. Even if you don’t see me making that run, send the ball. I promise I will make those runs. I promise I will not give up.’ And that’s literally how the second or the third goal happened.”
The match saw a total of 28 shots, with both teams having 14. The Bisons’ goalkeepers made seven saves, while the Pronghorns’ goalkeepers made three. The Bisons committed 12 fouls, while the Pronghorns committed nine. Three Bisons players, including their coach, received yellow cards, while only one player from the Pronghorns received a yellow card.
The Bisons scored nine goals in total this weekend. “Early in the weekend, a big thing for us was to score that first goal. It allowed us to play with less stress, and that confidence just drives when we’re in front of goal […] then the confidence for the second goal drives the confidence for the third,” Colvin said. “It’s not that surprising that we get to nine. Certainly, we have the quality within the team to put the ball in the back of the net. It’s just about our decision-making in the final third and composure and ruthlessness to score.”
The Bisons concluded the season in seventh place, finishing 10 points ahead of the Pronghorns at the bottom of the prairie division standings. They fell short of a playoff spot, sitting 14 points behind fourth-place Saskatchewan, which was the final qualifying position. With Calgary, Mount Royal and MacEwan securing the other spots in the top four, the Bisons will have to wait until next season to make another push for the playoffs.
