Canadian Mennonite University

Lydia Balsillie - October's Recovery Spot Female Athlete Of The Month

Congratulations to Lydia Balsillie of Women's Soccer on being selected The Recovery Spot Female Athlete of the Month for October.

The rookie goalkeeper led CMU's push for the playoffs, collecting nine points in October after a difficult start to the 2016 MCAC Season that had the Blazers sitting uncomfortably at the bottom of the standings, unable to take even a single point from their opening five matches.

The determined Balsillie began her strong run of form on Thanksgiving Weekend when she backstopped CMU to a 0-0 draw with the Brandon Bobcats; who topped the MCAC in goals-scored leading up to the match. That single point snowballed for the Blazers as Balsillie continued her shutout streak, blanking the ACC Cougars the following weekend 3-0 and then USB 0-0 on the final weekend of the season to set up a showdown with the fourth-place Providence Pilots on October 23rd; a match to determine the final playoff berth in the 2016 MCAC Women's Soccer Final Fours.

After going behind early in the match, Balsillie and her teammates were relentless as they battled from behind, determined to win the match. With the score tied 2-2, only the referee's full-time whistle saved the season for the Pilots, as for more than 30 minutes the Blazers continued to apply dominant pressure in search of a winner.

"Lydia helped everyone stay focused and organized," said co-head coach Cara Isaak, "her play on break-aways and corner-kicks, in particular, was simply amazing! She just stayed super positive and didn't give up."

 

Printed from: blazers.cmu.ca/lydia-balsillie-octobers-recovery-spot-female-athlete-of-the-month