Providence University College's Athletics kicked off their home schedule this past weekend with a fly-over by the aviation students, and an aerobatics instructor from Harv’s Air to celebrate their name change from the Freemen to the Pilots.
The crowd of over 200 were treated to a total of 10 planes flying in formation along with the Top Gun theme song blaring in the background. After the air-show, the fans took in the main event, a men's soccer game between the Providence Pilots and the Les Rouge from Universitaire de St. Boniface.
The Pilots took advantage of the pre-game festivities, getting off to a great start, scoring 5 minutes into the match. Mitchell Martens sent a nice pass behind the defense, setting up Arvid Neufeld, who went around the goalkeeper to score.
Neufeld then created and scored the scored at the 25 minute mark, robbing a defender on the edge of the penalty area to make it 2-0 for the Pilots.
St. Boniface showed they weren't out of the game yet, coming out strong in the second half, forcing Providence's goalkeeper Liam Hodges to make a string of crucial saves to keep Les Rouges at bay.
The game was then sealed in the 82nd minute when Adrian Neufeld sent a perfect through ball to his brother Arvid to set him free on a run through the defence where he found the back of the net to cap off his hat-trick. Final score 3-0 for the Pilots.
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Sunday’s games saw the Pilots travel to Winnipeg to take on the Red River Rebels. The women kicked things off on a very windy, but sunny afternoon. In a contest where the Pilots out-shot the Rebels 20 to 3, there was no score until the 83rd minute.
Jessica Gzebb rifled in the only goal of the game off of a free kick. Both teams stood strong on defense, with only 5 scoring chances allowed in total. Rosana Bergan of Niverville, Manitoba had been solid in goal for the Pilots, recording her third shutout in five games.
Despite a strong gusty wind at their backs in the first half, the men's team dominated the play and outshooting the Rebels 21-1. The Rebels' goalkeeper frustrated Providence, making save after save.
Connor Wiebe was able to break the deadlock in the 20th minute with a pass from Dale Danso, which sent the tall centre forward through the defence to score. At the 38 minute mark, Neufeld and Weibe connected on a combination play to give Troy Lydiate the opportunity to use his speed to give his team a 2-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Rebels had the wind advantage. That combined with their fighting spirit enabled them to pull within one goal in the 55th minute. However, the Pilots kept pushing forward and were rewarded in the 85th minute when the hard-working Ryan Fast squared the ball across the front of the goal for Wiebe, who tapped it past the far post to end the game 3-1 in Providence's favor.
The win was the fifth in a row for the men's team who have now outscored their opponents 19-2 this season.
Picture and Article Content provided by Kyle Guenther
Fri, May 17, 8:30 AM
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