RRC’s Logan Bresciani totalled 17 goals in 2019
By Nik Kowalski
Rebels futsal player Logan Bresciani admits she may still not know all of the games’ rules.
That didn’t stop the first-year player from earning the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s futsal Most Valuable Player award.
“I was really surprised, I thought the MVP would go to the top scorer,” said Bresciani, 22. “I was honoured to see they paid attention to my skill and it wasn’t just about the goals.”
In 11 games, Bresciani scored 17 goals this season, ranking third in the MCAC. Aside from Bresciani, no Rebel scored more than six goals.
Rebels head coach Douglas Lawrie said opposing coaches selected Bresciani as the league MVP due to her contributions toward helping the Rebels qualify for championship weekend.
“Logan was very mobile to be able to play the defensive roles well … with the ability to turn quickly on a tight marking defender and unleash very dangerous shots,” said Lawrie.
Lawrie said Bresciani’s strong roots in soccer helped her adjust to the tighter space and nuances of futsal.
Bresciani said she found her stride after her first few games, using her shot to her advantage.
“I figured out how to play, where to be. In outdoor soccer, you can’t shoot it from anywhere, but in futsal you can shoot from anywhere — even from half — and it might go in, so I started shooting a bunch,” said Bresciani.
Bresciani, a paramedics student at Red River College, will graduate this spring. After playing outdoor soccer for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen from 2014-2016, Bresciani chose to prioritize school when joining RRC in fall 2018, meaning she wouldn’t be playing soccer. After her first semester at RRC, she decided to give a kick at futsal.
“When I joined the program I knew it was going to be super condensed,” said Bresciani. “Then the second semester came around and I told myself I could balance playing futsal with school.”
Steph Morris, Bresciani’s friend and former RRC futsal player, urged her to join the team.
“She was telling me how much fun it was, and I gave in and thought I may as well try it out,” said Bresciani.
Bresciani said she prefers futsal to outdoor soccer, saying futsal is a more high-paced game. Lawrie played Bresciani at the pivot position, which he said could be thought of as a striker in soccer. Lawrie said a pivot in futsal has a higher level of responsibility than the classic attacking player in soccer.
The Rebels finished 5-2-3, good for fourth place and the final playoff spot.
Their season experienced highs and lows, including a 7-2 victory over the first-place Canadian Mennonite University Blazers and one of their starters breaking their leg early in the year.
The Rebels dropped a semi-final match 3-2 to CMU last March.
With Bresciani set to graduate, the Rebels will have a big hole to fill in the front of their attack.
