The University of Regina's women's soccer team finishes its Canada West schedule this Saturday with a home game against UNBC at the U of R Field. The Cougars and the Timberwolves kick off at 2:00 p.m.
The Cougars come into Saturday's game with a 4-5-2 conference record and in seventh place in the conference standings with 14 points. A win over UNBC – or, for that matter, if Mount Royal doesn't win twice this weekend – would send the Cougars into the Canada West playoffs for the second consecutive season.
While the U of R will likely finish either seventh or eighth in Canada West depending on how Fraser Valley does on its road trip to Winnipeg and Manitoba, the top of the conference standings is up for grabs. Any of five teams come into the final weekend still in the hunt for first place, though Alberta, UBC, and Victoria have the best chances to claim top spot.
It'll be fifth-year day for a trio of Cougars (
Adrianna Bonutti,
Meagan Cormier, and
Jessica Meyer) finishing their CIS eligibility and playing for the final time at home. All three players came in as part of the 2009 recruiting class and have played significant roles in the U of R's ascension to Canada West relevance. Bonutti will play in her 58th Canada West match on Saturday and has scored five goals for the Cougars over her career, while Meyer will put on a U of R kit for the 53rd time in her career. Meyer's only goal as a Cougar was a memorable one, as it came back in her first year in a 1-0 win over Manitoba – the team's first over the Bisons in program history.
And for Cormier, the list of accolades is lengthy. She'll leave as the school's all-time leading scorer, as she comes into Saturday's match with 21 career goals. Cormier, who was named a conference second-team all-star last season, is also the school's all-time leader with 12 career assists. In addition to her accomplishments at the U of R, Cormier also represented Canada last summer at the Summer Universiade in Russia.
The Cougars will also honour keeper
Stephanie Possberg as part of Senior Day. Possberg – the U of R's career leader in wins (8), goals-against average (0.79), and save percentage (.857) – actually has a season of CIS eligibility remaining, but has completed her degree and isn't expected to return in 2014.
Now in its second season in the CIS, UNBC is coming off its first win in program history as the Timberwolves got a pair of goals from Sydney Hall in a 4-0 win over Winnipeg last Sunday in Prince George, B.C. Hall now has a team-leading three goals this season for UNBC, while Sidney Roy and Sydney Wilson both have a pair of strikes. Keeper Jordan Hall has played every minute beween the posts for UNBC and has a pair of clean sheets this season.
These two teams have only met one other time since UNBC came into Canada West, with the Cougars claiming a 3-0 victory back on Sept. 23, 2012 in Prince George.