Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Work rate in the midfield sets the pace for all lines of play on the pitch.
New Griffins women's soccer recruit Brynn Hobal sets that pace impossibly high, bringing energy and tenacity to the centre midfield spot.
"She's a pure box-to-box midfielder," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro. "She plays with an extreme intensity that very few players can match. She's so gifted defensively; great at separating players from balls, sticking tackles, intercepting passes.
"She's very intelligent, can drive play from the midfield and we love centre-mids who can score goals. Brynn can definitely do that. She's a very exciting player."
Hobal is currently recovering from a knee injury suffered at club provincials and will be eased back into action this fall at MacEwan. When she gets up to speed, though, look out Canada West.
"Brynn is one of the best all-around players in this class," said Cordeiro. "She's one to watch. She drives play, can score, create and is a rock defensively. She can literally play any position on the pitch. We're very excited about Brynn being a Griffin."
Brynn Hobal is a product of the St. Albert Impact and also represented Alberta at the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
The Edmontonian played for Team Alberta at the 2022 Canada Summer Games – a teammate of Canada West all-rookie team member and reigning MacEwan Female Rookie of the Year Amelia Russo, as well as previously-announced incoming MacEwan recruits Bryn Mortensen and Hannah Harper. She was also a Team Alberta player in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Hobal was a member of the Alberta REX program in 2019-20 with several now-Griffins teammates, including U SPORTS 2022-23 second team all-star Anneke Odinga. In her youth, she played for Victoria Soccer Club and the St. Albert Impact.
More recently, she's played for Cordeiro and with several Griffins on the Northwest United in the AMSL. She received a Game of Distinction award at the SX Cup in 2022.
And she capped off her high school career by winning St. Francis Xavier's 2023 Heart & Soul award for outstanding accomplishment in Academics, Athletics and Sport.
