RRC women’s soccer team falls a sliver from gold
Taylor Allen, BEAT REPORTER
Nadine Reimer scores for RRC in the second half of the MCAC final to tie the game at 1-1. Brandon ended up winning 3-1. THE PROJECTOR/ Taylor Allen
The Red River Rebels women’s soccer team fell just short of winning their second Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) championship in a row.
The Rebels advanced to the final after a convincing 9-3 victory over the Providence University College Pilots in the semi-final. But in the final, RRC struggled to score against the Brandon University (BU) Bobcats. They lost 3-1.
RRC and BU both went undefeated in the regular season. The teams tied in the two games they played against each other.
Nadine Reimer, a third-year player for the Rebels, gave Brandon credit for their tough defence.
“Brandon’s defensive line is amazing,” said Reimer. “Their defensive game is their best asset.”
Reimer scored the lone goal for RRC in the final. She tied the game at 1-1 midway through the second half. Brandon answered back with two goals to win the game.
Rebels coach Doug Lawrie thought his team controlled a lot of the game and defended well, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
“We generated lots of tremendous scoring opportunities, but we just couldn’t finish them like we did in the semi-final,” said Lawrie. “We had a couple of breakdowns on defence, and Brandon capitalized on those chances.”
The season didn’t end as the team had hoped, but Reimer was still happy with the season and proud of the team. “We never know what to expect at the beginning of each season because there is such a high turnover [of players] at Red River,” said Reimer. “I was really glad we were able to get so many great players out this year.”
Reimer, the captain of the Rebels, was one of only four returning players from last season’s team that won the championship.
“We only had a handful of returning players this year,” said Reimer. “With a roster of 17, you’re looking for 13 or so new players every year.”
Despite the turnover, Lawrie and the rest of the Rebels coaching staff have had success these past two seasons. Last year was the first time the RRC women’s soccer team won the MCAC championship.
Lawrie believes their recent success is due to good recruiting, early training, and positive support amongst the play- ers.
Paige Procter was the lone Rebel to make the MCAC all-conference team. The second-year nursing student cried after the team’s loss. The team won’t have her talent on defence next year as she plans to graduate in the spring.
Current or future RRC students interested in playing varisty soccer next season can complete an online recruiting form at blogs.rrc.ca/rebels/online-recruiting-form.
