Griffins soccer season is well underway

Ian Smyth

Photo by Norman Bo

It’s been a rocky month for the MacEwan Griffins. With only soccer underway, all eyes were on arguably MacEwan’s most prestigious program. And results have been slightly underwhelming. 

The women’s team got started on their quest for revenge after getting knocked out in the first round of last year’s playoffs against the Trinity Western Spartans, and sit at a respectable 5-2-1 (at time of writing). A good record, but play has been inconsistent. The Griffins lost twice in a row for the first time since 2017, and wins have not been in as dominant fashion as last year, not counting the 6-0 rout of the Regina Cougars. But, the team remains strong and is highlighted by excellent keeping from Sabrina Alexander and rookie Carly Uchacz. In record news, Grace Mwasalla broke into the top-10 of career goals scored in Canada West. The veteran pillar of the squad has continued to be a staple of the past five years of Griffins soccer. An important October awaits as the women see if they can catch the University of Calgary Dinos atop the division standings.

Unfortunately, the men have experienced the opposite. A very rough September has them sitting winless at 0-6-3 (at the time of writing), despite some very close matches against the University of Alberta Golden Bears and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies that both ended in ties. It just hasn’t seemed to click so far, with inconsistent possession and too many fouls really holding them back. Despite this, there have been bright spots. When the Griffins have been able to attack, forwards such as Ali Yildiz and Felix Guite have been able to put shots on net and convert. The lack of results is not ideal, and it doesn’t help that the team only has five games left to make up for the poor start. Fans will see where they land in early October.