Photo courtesy of Connor Hood.

Sports in October, and what they tell us about these squads.

October has come to an end, and many Griffins games have come and gone, with some seasons coming to an end and others just beginning. This month in review will catch you up on all you need to know.

Women’s soccer 

Once again, MacEwan’s women’s soccer squad has made its presence known in Canada West. They finished the season on Oct. 18 with a 9-3-2 record and did not lose a game in the month, except for a 3-3 tie against the University of Alberta. It was a season driven by veterans, with strong returners Raeghan McCarthy (7 G) and Grace Mwasalla (6 G) leading the team in scoring. Backup goalie Carly Uchacz was stellar, going 3-0-0 in her first season with the Griffins. However, despite a strong October, the Griffins finished worse off than they had last year and were unable to secure homefield advantage for the playoffs. They experienced deja vu, losing to the Trinity Western Spartans 1-0. So while it was an overall successful season, the Griffins once again failed to begin the climb back to U Sports glory.

Men’s soccer

The men were not so lucky. Finishing 2-7-5 (good for second worst in Canada West), it was a disappointing season once again for the Griffins. But it wasn’t without its bright spots. Midfielder Felix Guite enjoyed a third-year leap, scoring more goals this season than in the past two combined. Goalkeeper Oleksandr Popravka had shutouts in both of his wins. Regardless, it is still an uninspiring finish for a program that is still trying to find its footing in the Canada West division.

Women’s basketball

Women’s basketball has struggled. They ended up finishing the month 0-3, and outside of Unity Obasuyi, the team has not been able to generate much offence. However, Obasuyi has been a bright spot. She is averaging 19.8 PPG, good for third in Canada West. But it hasn’t been enough, and the team may continue to struggle if secondary scoring doesn’t emerge.

Men’s basketball

In a wild turn of events, the men’s basketball team won their season opener. They finished October 1-2, but David Kapinga and the new-look Griffins have taken on the identity of a tough-to-play-against defensive team. They rank sixth in defensive rebounding and fifth in turnovers in Canada West, and when the defence succeeds, the team succeeds. Current leading scorer Marcus ISO Moore is a first-year guard averaging 12.5 PPG, teaming up with Diego Presingular in the backcourt, who made the 2024-25 Canada West All-Rookie team. They look like a team with new life, and one worth watching as the season goes on.

Women’s volleyball

Volleyball has had a lacklustre start. After splitting the opening series of the season against Calgary, the women were crushed twice by Thompson Rivers. Subpar offence has held the Griffins back from being able to counter-attack, despite a decent defensive game that sits in the top half of digs. But a 1-3 record in October doesn’t mean the season is over, and some standout players have emerged. Payton Shimoda is fifth in Canada West in assists with 8.67 per game. Anika Buys is averaging a block per set. And multiple Griffins are high up on the total digs list. There is potential for this squad — it just isn’t coming together as of right now.

Men’s volleyball

Sitting at 0-4 at the end of October, the men have struggled. There isn’t much to look at with this team as they have a bottom three offence in points per set, a bottom three offence in kills per set, and a bottom two offence in assists per set. This is despite opposite hitter Fabian Breitenbach ranking in the top 10 in Canada West in kills per set. I don’t believe they will be able to make much noise this season.

Women’s hockey

It already looks like a more promising season for the women’s hockey squad, albeit there was really nowhere to go but up. They had two wins in October, but both their goalies have save percentages above .920, which is just below the top 10 of the Canada West leaderboard. Despite this, lacklustre special teams, which include the worst power play in Canada West, don’t help their cause. The team needs to find a way to generate offence, as their goalies keep them in the game long enough to stick around. It will just be a matter of finding the back of the net that will decide how this season goes.

Men’s hockey

Let’s start with an important fact about this iteration of the Griffins men’s hockey squad. Eric Ward is one of the best goaltenders in Canada West. He ranks fifth in goals against average (2.38), second in save percentage (.933%), and fourth in total saves (125). He has a victory against the nationally ranked Mount Royal Cougars, a 38-save performance against the all-powerful U of A Golden Bears, and has been the Griffins’ best player. That being said, they finished October 4-5, with no clear superstar in the forward position. They are showing the chops of a playoff team once again.