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Blazers Soccer Clinch Playoff Spots

Blazers Soccer Clinch Playoff Spots

Weeks five and six were busy ones for the Blazers women's and men's soccer teams, which started with a mid-week night game against the visiting Providence Pilots on October 6th, and then back-to-back Thankgiving weekend games that started on the road in Brandon, and finished at home on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  This past weekend Blazers women's soccer had a rare Friday night matchup with Les Rouges which was a makeup date for the postponed Thanksgiving Sunday match, and then both teams then hit the road on Sunday for their final visit to Brandon prior to the upcoming MCAC Championships.

It was a beautiful Wednesday evening for soccer on October 6th as the Providence Pilots were in town for games under the lights at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex.  The Pilots' women's squad proved too much of a challenge for the Blazers on that warm fall evening, scoring early and often which eventually resulted in a 6-0 loss.  The men's game proved to be a much different match, with neither team managing to notch a marker through the first half of play.  The nationally-ranked Pilots mounted several good scoring rushes, but a combination of excellent goalkeeping from CMU's Caleb Jutzi, along with solid defense from the Blazers' back four kept the Pilots off the scoresheet.  The Blazers managed to create a number of counter-attacks of their own, most notably on a string of excellent corner kicks from veteran midfielder Victor Hugo Gomes de Abreu, but were also left without a goal at the end of regulation.  The scoreless draw left points on the table for the Pilots, and earned the Blazers another crucial point in their attempt to separate themselves from the Cougars below them in the standings.

The following Saturday's matches were against those very Cougars, as the Blazers headed West to meet the squads from Assiniboine Community College in games that would have huge ramifications for the standings as the season enters its final few weeks.  CMU's women's team got the afternoon off to a blazing start, earning a 4-1 win off goals from three different scorers: Ayeshua Umar, Tai Linklater, and Julia Ignagni, all of whom found the back of the net for the first time this season.  On the men's side, fresh off his clean sheet on Wednesday, CMU's Caleb Jutzi was back at striker for the Blazers and tallied a goal of his own, alongside markers from Matheus Moreno, Daniel McIntyre-Ridd, Gjok Prendi, and the first of the year for Tim Shantz as the team went on to record a convincing 5-2 victory over the Cougars.

Back in Winnipeg on Sunday, the Blazers women's soccer team had a tough test ahead as the top-ranked Les Rouges were at the Ralph for their final meeting of the regular season.  Mother nature had other ideas though, as the game had to be postponed due to poor field conditions.  The men, on the other hand, were able to play through the inclement weather, which appeared to be in the Blazers favour as they took a 1-0 lead into half off of a goal by CMU's Victor Hugo Gomes de Abreu.  A late rally by Les Rouges had the tables turned at the end of regulation, as two goals from St Boniface's Franck N'Dia earned Les Rouges the full three points for the win, and the Blazers with little hope of catching them in the standings.

The postponed women's match from Thanksgiving Sunday was replayed this past Friday night under the lights under crisp fall conditions.  The Blazers were able to hold off the powerful Les Rouges attack for the first half, and took a 0-0 scoreline into the intermission.  Eventually Les Rouges were able to break through with two second half goals, and with no tallies to show on the game sheet, the Blazers fell 0-2 to the top-ranked side from St Boniface.

The final regular season meetings with the Brandon Bobcats had the Blazers travel to Brandon on Sunday.  Holding the second place ranking in both the women's and men's divisions, the fourth-ranked Blazers knew they would have their work cut out for them if they were to take away any points on the weekend.  Despite a quick start by the Blazers women's side that had them take an early 1-0 lead, the Bobcats turned their game around and poured on the offence, earning them the 9-2 victory over CMU.  The Blazers goalscorers were veterans Tiegan Kroeker, and Ezri Trump.  In the men's matchup, Brandon's star striker Camilo Rodriguez put his mark on the game, netting all three of the Bobcats' goals in an eventual 3-1 win for the home side.  CMU's Tim Shantz was the lone scorer for the Blazers.

A combination of earning crucial points during their week five matchups, most critically against the fifth place Assiniboine Cougars, alongside a regular season schedule that no longer has enough matches left for the Cougars to catch the Blazers means both CMU women's and men's squads are now officially playoff bound.  The Blazers clinched their MCAC Championships spots with ACC's losses to Providence on Sunday, and can now look forward to semi finals in Brandon on October 30th.  CMU will play their final regular season matches of the year this weekend as they host the Assiniboine Cougars at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon, followed by an away date with the Providence Pilots on Sunday as the teams look to gain momentum heading into Championship weekend.

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