Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
CAPE BRETON, N.S. – Cooking is her hobby, so it's no wonder Grace Mwasalla earned the nickname Chef G.
"It started in youth," explained the MacEwan Griffins' rookie forward. "One of my teammates gave me the name. I do like to cook a lot and I guess I would say I like to cook a lot on the field, as well – shaking and baking opponents."
She has done plenty of that in recent weeks – scoring big goals, creating chances for others and shutting down opponents.
With MacEwan tied 0-0 against Saskatchewan in the Canada West bronze medal game on Nov. 6, Chef G got cooking, setting up the game-winning goal with a great pass to fellow rookie Nikki Brodeur before tallying the insurance marker in a 2-0 win that punched the Griffins' ticket to the national championship.
61' | ��GOOOAAALLLL��
— MacEwan Soccer (@GriffinsSoccer) November 7, 2021
@Abbeyywrightt plays an absolutely gorgeous first time ball over the top that sends @gracemwasalla in and she makes no mistake getting the Griffins second in 2 minutes #CHEFG
Griffs 2, Huskies 0 pic.twitter.com/QbnvcJWu90
And in a move that epitomizes the person she is, Mwasalla instantly ran to the bench to make sure her teammates were included in the celebration.
"I think in that moment, I just wanted to show my teammates how much I appreciate them," she explained. "And I wanted to show everyone on the sidelines how much they mean to me and how much I love them."
That's the very identity of a Griffins team that enters the U SPORTS national championship in Sydney, N.S. this week as deep, as talented and as together as any team before them in program history. They kick off their quest for a national banner with a quarter-final match against Queen's University on Thursday (7:30 a.m. MT, WATCH HERE).
Grace Mwasalla, with teammate Samatha Gouveia next to her, runs towards the MacEwan bench in celebration after scoring the second goal in the Griffins' 2-0 win over Saskatchewan in the Canada West bronze medal game on Nov. 6 (Scott Stewart photo).
"She's all about the team and that togetherness that we preach," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro of Mwasalla. "She's embraced the'We Before Me' culture that we have instilled in our team. She's all about her teammates in everything she does.
"Grace is extremely humble. She knows she's a good player, but is a piece of the puzzle on a quality team. The energy she brings, the liveliness, she's just so exciting to watch."
Mwasalla came into the program as a highly-heralded recruit out of the Calgary Blizzard after she attended a national team ID camp at the U15 level.
She didn't get the nod for Canada Soccer to move on in contention for the national U17 squad, but learned and grew from the experience.
"Unfortunately, my nerves kind of got the best of me, so I didn't perform that week, but it was definitely a good learning experience for me," she said.
A byproduct of that camp, though, is that she was ready to handle the Canada West level out of the gate. The nervous energy didn't get the better of her, especially after veteran Griffins teammates helped instill confidence.
"I would say (my nerves) died down because of the confidence the team has in me, especially the vets, who helped me realize there's nothing to worry about, I've just got to go play my game," she said.
Grace Mwasalla moves the ball upfield against UFV's Simi Lehal in MacEwan's 2-0 win over the Cascades in a Canada West quarter-final game (Robert Antoniuk photo).
Even with all of that, Mwasalla's first-year production took many by surprise after she led MacEwan in scoring (five goals and eight points) and tied the program's rookie record for most points in a Canada West season. She was subsequently named to the conference's All-Rookie team.
"We knew she was going to be a hugely impactful player, but with so many returning players because of the COVID year, I thought it might hold some first years back because of (lack of ) opportunity," noted Cordeiro. "But Grace is just too much of a talent. Her rise from the start of the year until now is unprecedented.
"Honestly, working with her is like having a fifth-year on the field and she's in her first year of eligibility. She's been steadily earning more minutes as the season's gone along.
"I think I've just stepped into my role a bit more," she said of going on a hot streak of six points in her past seven games. "We have a lot of team goals and if I can help the team in any way possible, that's what I'm going to do and that's what motivates me."
Chef G is here to cook literally and figuratively.
"I'm a bit of a picky eater, so that's why I like to cook a lot," she said. "But I would say (my favourite thing to cook) is good ol' mashed potatoes with a steak on the side."
And she certainly wouldn't be complaining if, at the end of the weekend, the post-championship meal for the Griffins included a trophy, a banner and a gold medal.
