Bisons cross-country
The Bisons cross-country team competed at the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota on Friday.
Angela Kroeker started where she left off in the previous cross-country season, posting the best Bisons time of 23:34.3 in the women’s 6K race. Rookie Lena Klassen finished close behind with an impressive time of 23:41.2. Aspen Shier and Emily Watson posted times under 28 minutes, and Lily Francis, Caitlyn Patson and veteran Shayna Giesbrecht all posted times under 29 minutes.
On the men’s side of the cross-country team, veteran Calvin Reimer held the fastest time in the men’s 8K for the Bisons, posting 27:40.1, while Justin Kroeker finished just six seconds behind him.
Rookie Carson Kroeker posted the third fastest Bisons time on the men’s side with 28:36.3, while Wylie Garchinski and veteran Alexander Brandt-Granding posted times under 30 minutes, and Jonah Leppelmann and Gavin Maxwell posted times under 31 minutes.
The cross-country team will be on the road again on Saturday as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies host the Dakota Classic.
Bisons football
The Bisons football team earned its first win of the season at home in historic fashion.
Bison kicker Maya Turner not only made U Sports history as the first woman to dress for a regular season game, but also became the first woman to make points in a regular season U Sports game, putting 9 of the herd’s 27 points on the board, including a game-winning 21-yard field goal in second overtime.
The afternoon game also saw the return of quarterback Jackson Tachinski from injury, who threw for 323 yards and had two rushing touchdowns.
The herd looked well matched against the University of Regina Rams, as the first points of the game came late in the first quarter when Bisons kicker Vinny De Rosa conceded a safety after the herd started deep from the three-yard line.
It was in the beginning of the second quarter that the magic began to happen for the Manitoban squad. Marching deep downfield, Turner put the Bisons’ first points on the board with a serendipitous 21-yard field goal, making U Sports history.
With the Rams taking a 9-3 lead into halftime, the herd came out big in the third quarter to tie with a touchdown from receiver De Shawn Le Jour. Turner would put her fourth point on the board with the 1-point conversion.
The Rams and Bisons would exchange four touchdowns before Regina pulled off the two-point conversion, forcing overtime.
After the first overtime came to an end without any points, the Bisons would start the second mini-game, where Turner would put up Manitoba by three. With a huge stop by the defence in the Rams possession, the Bisons would go on to win their first game of the season 27-24.
The herd’s defence had a tremendous game, forcing three two-and-outs, a turnover on downs and six break-ups. Defensive linemen Cole Barron and Tristan Francis and defensive back Stephen Adamopoulos all recorded a sack. Adamopoulos would also record the lone interception of the day, and defensive tackle Collin Kornelson would record the lone forced fumble.
The Bisons will host the University of Calgary Dinos in another matinee game on Sunday at IG Field.
Bisons women’s soccer
It was a tough road trip for the Bisons women’s soccer team this past weekend. Travelling to the West Coast, the herd made its first stop in Victoria, B.C. to take on the University of Victoria Vikes at Centennial Stadium on Friday night.
The Bisons were outshot, only recording two shots on goal, courtesy of midfielders Chloe Morin and rookie Lulu Bordeaux. Again, veteran goalkeeper Karina Bagi was fantastic, stopping nine of the 11 shots on net.
The scary part of the game came in the 57th minute, when Bisons defender Ava Memka went down after defending a scramble at the herd’s net. She needed assistance off the field and did not play during Sunday’s game.
On Sunday, the Bisons were hosted by the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary. The herd had a strong start, pressuring the Cougars straight out of the gate and opening the scoring in the 24th minute with a beautiful header from rookie midfielder Taryn Cabak off a corner from fellow midfielder and captain Jessica Tsai.
Taking the 1-0 lead into halftime, the herd held off Mount Royal until late in the game when the Cougars would receive three penalty kicks in the last 18 minutes. All three kicks would make their way past Bagi to put the Cougars up 3-1 and ultimately win them the match.
However, the silver lining in the second loss of the weekend was Bagi making program history yet again. With her six stops against the Cougars, Bagi is now second all-time in the Bisons program record books for most saves, surpassing former Bison goaltender Chloe Werle’s record.
This next weekend marks the herd’s bye week before starting the final leg of the season at home with the Duckworth Challenge Oct. 7.
