Cougars soccer teams go unbeaten in first two games of the season
Josh Werle, Sports Editor
The Mount Royal University Cougars soccer teams are off to a great start this season, as both the men’s and women’s teams have gone unbeaten in their first two games.
The men’s team is coming off an incredible season last year going 6-1-3 in their regular season play, leading them to an appearance in the Canada West playoff bracket. As the first seed in the Canada West’s Central division, the Cougars took on Thompson Rivers University in the quarterfinal matchup, defeating them 2-0. They would lose in their semifinal matchup against the University of British Columbia (UBC), and would ultimately go on to capture the Canada West bronze medal, beating the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) 2-0.
The men’s team have gone unbeaten to start the 2022 season, with a record of 1-0-1. Their first game of the season saw the Cougars defeat the MacEwan University Griffins 3-0. The Cougars then went on to tie the University of Alberta Golden Bears with one goal apiece. The entire team has been contributing offensively to start the season, with all four goals coming from different players.
Last year’s two top scorers, Mohamed El Gandour and David Schaefer are back to their scoring ways. El Gandour scored the second goal in game one, with Schaefer scoring the lone goal in game two. First-year students Mowbray Beghin and Jonathan Walter made an immediate impact in game one, scoring the first and third goals of the game, respectively. Goalkeeper Sterling Kerr, who finished last season with four shutouts, has already begun adding to his statline with the Cougars’ 3-0 victory in game one.
The women’s soccer team is off to a blistering start to the 2022 season, having defeated the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in back-to-back games, sweeping the season series. The team is already only one victory away from their overall wins record last season, and are looking to have a bounce-back year.
The 2021 season saw the women’s team score a total of 13 goals. This season, they have already hit the double-digit mark in only two games, having scored 10 goals total in their season series against the Pronghorns. The team’s most recent game, a 4-2 victory over the Pronghorns, saw the Cougars score three goals in a span of only 10 minutes. This is coming off a 6-2 victory to start the season, where four separate players got on the scoreboard. Similarly to the men’s team, the women’s team has seen offensive success from a number of players.
After leading the team in scoring in her rookie season, Sydney Danielewicz hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in her sophomore appearance, scoring a goal in each of the Cougars’ two games this season.
Fellow second-year players Isabella Chirico and Catriona McFadden scored two goals each in the first game of the season, accounting for 66 per cent of the team’s goals that game. Natasha Fourlas, Monet Alonso-Cruz, Caitlyn Vieira and Bethany Middlemass have recorded one goal each to start the season.
If the first two games of the season are any indication, the Cougars’ soccer teams both seemed poised for success this year.
