With a loss in the first game of the season, 2-1 against Calgary Dinos on Sept. 4, the Bisons played against the Dinos again on Saturday. The game ended with a complete show of domination by the Dinos, as they went on to win the game 5-0. Both games took place at the East Turf Field.
From the very start, it was clear the Dinos had one specific offensive play that they were attempting, which was to give a loft pass or through ball to the left winger, Erica Mysko, mostly a cross from the defence and ground pass or a chip from midfield. Mysko would then find space, take the ball to the edge of the penalty box and either go for a shot or, if there was space and time, look for a striker and then play a pass to the striker to shoot toward the goalpost.
When asked about this offensive strategy, Dinos head coach Diogo Raposo replied, “We knew that we can maybe catch them in transition. Erica is probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest player on this field today, so why not use it?” He added, “In the transition moments, using her athleticism was big for us.”
In the beginning of the game, the Bisons had a tough time keeping possession, so they could not play the ball forward or move it around, forcing the herd to clear the ball and give possession back to the Dinos.
At about 15 minutes into the game, the Dinos had a corner kick. Brooke Batty took the corner kick and the Bisons goalie tried to grab the ball in the air but she could not. The ball was not cleared properly, and Dinos player Mykena Walker charged forward to shoot it hard. The ball deflected off Dinos striker Ella Djuranic, who then chipped the ball toward the net, and with the Bisons defender unable to stop it, the Dinos scored the first goal in the game.
At the 23-minute mark, Djuranic chased the ball and played a chip from behind the midfield line toward Mysko, with enough force to carry it toward her like a cross. Mysko ran after the ball, got it under control, and made a pass inside the box. Dinos’ Addi White rushed into the box, and on her first touch the ball bounced off her right foot. White composed herself and shot the ball before it touched the ground into the net.
With the game being led by the Dinos 2-0, the Dinos did not take their foot of the pedal. At the 25-minute mark, White charged at one of the Bisons defenders, seized the ball, then went past another Bisons defender and made a pass into the box, where Djuranic took a first touch shot that hit the crossbar and deflected off.
In the stoppage time for the first half (45+2), Mysko received a through ball, which she took deep into the penalty box and shot the ball. The Bisons goalkeeper stopped the shot, but the ball deflected off the goalkeeper, and before the herd could clear the ball, White came in and shot the ball into the net.
The first half ended with the Dinos leading 3-0.
In the second half, around the 86-minute mark, Josie Holt scored another goal, putting the Dinos up 4-0. A couple of minutes later, Kaleigh Major scored another goal in 88-minute mark, making the score 5-0.
Throughout the first half, the Dinos did not give the Bisons any time to think. With the Dinos’ defensive line pushed high up the field, every time the Bisons would start from the back and reach the midfield line, two or three Dinos players would close down on the Bisons player, forcing them to make a rushed pass or pass backwards. On the other hand, the Bisons were pushed to play with a deep defensive line.
When the Bisons would try to win the ball back, most Dinos players with the ball would sprint through the gaps available, and once there was space for a clean pass, they would play it off, not losing possession.
With the Dinos playing the attack through the left wing, on the right side, Batty played almost like a wide playmaker, receiving the ball at the midfield line, as she would regularly fall back. She was great at holding off the Bisons players at times, who were charging at her, using her body and sway movements to find space to pass the ball back or forward. So, even with the Bisons double-teaming her, she did not lose possession.
Falling back was not limited to Batty. At times, White would play like a false nine, dropping deeper to help build up the attack.
Dinos head coach Raposo shared that he did not feel like they had won the game at half-time. “We also have a lot of respect for Manitoba. We knew if they got one goal, it could be shaky.”
Talking about White and Mysko’s performances, he said, “Addi got rewarded for making great runs in the box, and Erica did the hard work to get the ball there.”
He summed up the team’s performance, saying, “Doing the right things, being in the right spots, you’re going to get rewarded.”
The Bisons are scheduled to play Saskatchewan Huskies on Sept. 12 and 13 in Saskatoon, Sask.
