Sandman Player of the Month: Yassin led Griffins into playoffs with eight points in October
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Men's soccer forward Rakan (Ricky) Yassin has been named the Sandman Signature Player of the Month for the month of October.
Yassin wins a free night's stay at the Sandman Signature Hotel downtown.
During October, Yassin scored six goals and added two assists for eight points in nine games.
"He put together something pretty special, for sure," said Griffins head coach Adam Loga. "We met before the MRU game (Oct. 10) and just had a one-on-one chat. I don't know what sparked him, but after that day he went on a run. We made a few tactical changes to get him more involved and to get him into better areas on the pitch.
"We even spoke about (that chat) on the airplane coming back from Victoria. Something clicked for him. I'm just so happy for him."
Two of Yassin's six October goals were in MacEwan's 6-3 overtime loss in the Canada West quarter-final at Victoria last Saturday as his production allowed the Griffins to rally and force overtime at 3-3 after 90 minutes against the West Division's top seed.
Another key goal the second-year forward scored was the winner in MacEwan's 1-0 win over Calgary in the regular season finale that clinched the first Canada West playoff spot in Griffins history.
Yassin finished his second season with the Griffins tied for the scoring lead with rookie Alvin Mazaheri. Both had six points in 10 games.
"We needed him to step up and I'm glad he did," said Loga. "We're lucky to have him still for another three seasons if he doesn't go pro, which could also be a potential option for him."
