Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team has won in many ways this season, but amazingly a one-goal victory wasn't on the dance card until Game 10 on Sunday.
Coming into the match against Manitoba averaging 3.56 goals a game, MacEwan got just one against a stingy hard-working Bisons team, but it was all they needed in a 1-0 victory.
It's the fifth-straight clean sheet for the Griffins, who are tied for the second least goals against in Canada West – just seven allowed in 10 matches.
"That's nice to hear – five consecutive clean sheets," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro. "If we're doing that, we only need one goal to get the job done. We've been averaging more than that, but today we only needed the one, so it's good that we took care of business in our own end."
Grace Mwasalla scored her second of the weekend, third of the season and 31st of her illustrious career when she blasted home a rebound in tight off a great run into the box and scoring attempt by Brynn Hobal in the 54th minute. It's Mwasalla's program-leading 10th career game-winning goal.
"We know if we clean up our own end, we're always going to find the goal that we need," said Cordeiro. "We have the players who are going to get that done.
"Today, it was Grace Mwasalla coming in clutch. Just a big-time player. She scored a hell of a goal and Brynn Hobal, what an individual effort to cut that back."
With the result, the Griffins stayed level with Calgary for top spot on the Prairie Division table at 8-1-1 after the Dinos beat Regina 3-2.
W⚽️| RECAP
— MacEwan Griffins (@MacEwanGriffins) October 6, 2024
Grace Mwasalla scores her program-leading 10th career game-winner, Sabrina Alexander posts a seven-save shutout and @Griffins_WSOC outlasts hard-working @umbisons squad 1-0.#GriffNation
�� Norman Bo
STORY➡️https://t.co/FywYnCQB2D pic.twitter.com/G4MbqW7uqE
Manitoba, desperately trying to make up ground and get into a playoff position, fell to 3-7-0, and their post-season hopes are now on life support – nine points back of Saskatchewan for the fourth and final Prairie Division berth.
The Bisons gave it all they could, though. Buoyed by a 1-0 win over Alberta a day earlier, they put in as solid a 90 as anyone who has met the Griffins this season with every battle fought tooth-and-nail all over the field.
"Credit them," said Cordeiro. "They're a much-improved team. We saw it with their result yesterday and today they pushed us for the 90. We bent; we didn't break. We kept the chances to low quality.
"We were unlucky not to get that second goal. It would have given us a bit more breathing room. But this time of year, the games are going to get tighter and tighter."
The Griffins actually did score again – Hannah Harper in the 77th minute – but the play was ruled offside.
Grace Schimpf boxes out Manitoba's Janelle Chomini as Sabrina Alexander scoops up the ball on Sunday (Norman Bo photo).
Manitoba had two notable chances in the game. The first may have opened the scoring in the 25th minute, but Janelle Chomini's hard blast from the top of the box was blocked by Grace Schimpf.
"Dynamic performance from her, breaking up plays," Cordeiro said of Schimpf, named the Griffins' Game MVP. "She had a block in the box in the first half on probably one of their better chances.
"I just thought she was a rock defensively and drove play for us offensively. When you're playing a complete game like that, you're always getting the attention of the coaching staff, for sure."
Right before the final whistle, the Bisons had a golden chance to tie it on a free kick from 35 yards out, but Jessica Tsai's shot hit the wall and Lulu Bordeaux sent a low screamer in on the rebound that was gobbled up by Griffins goalkeeper Sabrina Alexander.
"I was definitely stressed on the setup, but as always, our team came through," she said. "Everybody was up and in, getting to the second ball and eventually it was an easier shot than I expected."
Alexander made seven saves for the goose-egg and now has 2.5 shutouts on the season. Holly Dyker stopped four of five for the Bisons, including robbing Harper on a header from 10 feet out in the 84th.
Next up for the Griffins is a home-and-home series against cross-town rival Alberta on Oct. 12-13. Manitoba will be up against Winnipeg on Oct. 10 and 12.
