Cougars Catchup: November 12th, 2024

After numerous successful games away from home for most of the Cougars teams, MRU found adversity on their Remembrance Day long weekend road trip. Only the women’s volleyball team, who went 2-0 in their first Crowchild Classic series of the season, were able to secure a winning result on the road. Catch up on the Cougars’ woes from last weekend and find out how the women’s volleyball squad extended their win streak to four consecutive games.

MSOC: Nov. 7 vs Université de Montréal Carabins (2024 U SPORTS men’s soccer championship Quarter-Final)

After making back-to-back appearances in the final round of the Canada West Championship, the Cougars men’s soccer team once again found themselves competing for a USPORTS national championship. They traveled to Oshawa, Ont. to take on the Université de Montréal Carabins in the quarter-final round, but conceded a 0-1 loss in an intense 90-minute match.

No goals were scored in the first 45 minutes, but not for a lack of offense. MRU’s Ethan Keen and Dawid Dudek both fired attempts at the Carabins net, but couldn’t score. Sjard Strauss faced his own onslaught of shots, but held strong and kept his Cougars in a 0-0 draw as the first half ended.

The intensity remained palpably high at the start of the second half, but just six minutes in, Maxime Filion found the back of the net for the Carabins’ first and only goal of the game. MRU generated chance after chance, totalling nine shots for the game, but couldn’t retaliate as they lost the Quarter-Final match 1-0. Strauss made a remarkable seven saves on 19 shots, keeping his team close the entire match. Ethan Keen led the way in shots taken and shots on goal, registering three of his four attempts on net.

WVB: Friday, Nov. 8 vs University of Calgary Dinos

Entering the weekend with an even 2-2 record, the Cougars women’s volleyball team were eager to prove themselves in their first and only Crowchild Classic of the season. Playing at Jack Simpson Gymnasium, MRU earned a resounding 3-1 victory on Friday night against the Dinos.

This was the Cougars’ third consecutive 3-1 victory, and it started with a dominant 25-12 first set victory. With 15 kills on 24 attempts, including just three attacking errors, MRU posted an attack percentage of 50 per cent in the first set, their best of the evening. 

After winning their second set 25-19, MRU took their foot off the gas pedal and tried coasting to a three-set victory. However, they made the same number of errors as kills in their third set, losing 25-22. That woke them right back up again, though, as they launched 30 total attacks in the fourth set and earned 12 kills on their way to a 25-21 fourth-set victory, sealing their 3-1 match win with dominance.

Grace Coulter, who’s been on fire all season long, led the Cougars’ attack with 15 kills, while Bronwynn Davies-Neira posted team-highs in aces (3) and blocks (4). Lexi Herrod looked like a seasoned veteran on both sides of the ball, digging out 15 attacks and dropping a whopping 42 dimes.

With their 3-1 victory, MRU improved their record to 3-2 and extended their win streak to three consecutive games.

MVB: Friday, Nov. 8 vs University of Calgary Dinos

The women’s volleyball victory on Friday night proved to be a tough act for the men’s volleyball team to follow; despite their best efforts, the Cougars men’s volleyball squad conceded a 1-3 loss in their first Crowchild Classic match of the season, extending their losing streak to three consecutive games.

Despite ending the game with just one less kill than their opponent, the Cougars seemingly beat themselves with errors, making 24 mistakes on the attack compared to the Dinos’ 19.

MRU started the night slow, managing only six kills and making five errors in their 25-20 first-set loss. They woke up in the second set and posted their best statistics of the night, generating 16 kills on 26 attacks en route to a 25-19 victory, their only set win of the night. After two consecutive 25-19 set losses, MRU ended the night with a 3-1 match loss.

Newcomer Paul Dionne made his presence on the offensive end, securing a team-high 16 kills on the night, helped by Grant Hill’s team-leading 32 assists. Cody Hudson continued to show his defensive abilities with three blocks, while Hill showed versatility as he posted nine digs. 

MSOC: Friday, Nov. 8 vs St. Francis Xavier University (U SPORTS men’s soccer championship Consolation Match)

After losing a close Quarter Final match, the Cougars men’s soccer team found themselves in the Consolation Match against St. Francis Xavier University and scored their only goal in the national championship games. Despite that scoring success, though, MRU took one more loss in the U SPORTS tournament, this time by a 2-1 margin.

Ethan Keen had a fiery foot once again, as he and Joshua Flaksman both registered shots for the Cougars in the first half. StFX goalie Samuel Diltz also faced shots from Kwasi Oteng-Frimpong and was tasked with defending corner kicks from Hyunsoo Ryu, but remained solid throughout the first half.

Cameron Shaw broke the deadlock in the 34th minute to make it 1-0, and despite Miguel Da Rocha’s best response efforts, StFX ended the first half with a one-goal advantage. Bryce Benton replaced Sjard Strauss in the second half, but after making three saves on StFX shots, he conceded a 57th-minute goal to Isaac VanWychen.

This charged up the Cougars attackers, though, as Flaksman turned a perfectly-timed feed from Skyler Rogers into a brilliant goal just two minutes after MRU went down 2-0. Now only down by one goal, the Cougars hogged the ball, dominating possession and generating an onslaught of shots and corners. Despite doubling StFX in corner kicks in the match, the Cougars could not put any more attempts pased Diltz and lost 2-1.

With their first-ever Canada West silver medal and a second consecutive trip to the U SPORTS National Championship games, though, MRU’s season should still be considered a resounding success and will give them the momentum and winning culture they need to remain a contending force in Canadian collegiate soccer.

WVB: Saturday, Nov. 9 vs University of Calgary Dinos

After dominating their first Crowchild Classic of the season, MRU ended their only weekend series against the Dinos with a Saturday night win, securing their fourth consecutive victory by a 3-1 margin and moving to 4-2 on the season.

Mimicking their Friday game, the Cougars opened with tantalizing energy, dominating the first set and winning 25-18. However, the Dinos responded quickly, exacting revenge in the second set by way of a 25-22 victory. MRU returned the favour with a 25-22 third-set win and sealed their 3-1 match victory with a crushing 25-14 fourth-set beatdown.

Sydney Scatcherd, who finished with the second-most Cougar kills on Friday night, led the team with 16 kills in their Saturday win and also contributed a team-high 13 digs. Lexi Herrod chipped in a team-leading 39 assists, bringing her weekend total to 81 dimes. Mya Morgan served up a team-best five aces, overloading the Dinos’ receivers and contributing to the Dinos 16 reception errors. Emma Boyd was a feisty defender, leading MRU with five blocks on the night.

With their successful weekend at Jack Simpson Gymnasium, the Cougars are now 4-2 on the season, proving that, under new coach Rhonda Schmuland’s tutelage, they are an elite squad in Canada West. 

MVB: Saturday, Nov. 9 vs University of Calgary Dinos

The Cougars were searching for revenge in their Saturday night matchup against the Dinos after losing their first Crowchild Classic match of the season. However, they extended their losing streak to four games as they conceded a 1-3 loss to the Dinos in Jack Simpson Gymnasium, giving up too many points to errors in serving and blocking.

The hosting Dinos opened up the night with a dominant first two sets, winning the first slate 25-21 and the second by a slightly closer 25-22 scoreline. The Cougars responded with a near-perfect third set, generating 18 kills on 30 total attacks and only making two errors on their way to a 25-22 victory, their only set win of the night. The Dinos won the match in the fourth set, scorching the Cougars with a 25-16 set win and a 3-1 overall match victory.

Jovan Stepanovic stuffed the stat sheet, leading the team with 13 kills and complementing that with three blocks and four assists. Aidan Roberts posted a team-high four blocks while Grant HIll registered a team-leading 28 assists. Paul Dionne, who has been an impact player all season long, led the Cougars’ digging efforts with nine digs and also served up an ace.