The Providence Futsal teams traveled to Brandon for a doubleheader against 1st place Brandon University Bobcats and last place Assiniboine Community College Cougars.

The men’s team entered the last two regular-season games in third place in the MCAC standings and faced the Bobcats in their first game of the day. The Pilots lost the game 8-5 but Head Coach Joey Passi felt like there were some positives to be taken from the game.

“Our first game against Brandon started bad and ended bad, but the middle was quite good,” remarks Passi. “It was a great game to watch and, a fun game to be part of. Emotions were high, the hits were hard, and the intensity set the tone for playoffs. If we meet them again in playoffs we will be excited to get another crack at them.”

After a change of venue and a few hour’s rest, the Pilots faced off against the ACC Cougars and were able to come away with a convincing 14-4 win. Coach Passi commented, “Near the end of the first half we started pulling away and, in the second half, the guys really connected and put the game away.”

With this split, the men’s team has secured the #3 seed for the MCAC Championships, which will be hosted by Red River College March 9 and 10. The semi-final match-up for the Pilots will be against #2 seed Canadian Mennonite University Blazers, who hold a 2-0 head-to-head record against the Pilots, and an impressive 8-1-1 regular season record. The Pilots finished with a 5-0-5 regular season record.

The Pilots women’s futsal team has struggled to find a way to win games this season, heading into their final weekend of competition without a win and sitting in last place in the conference. The Pilots faced the Brandon Bobcats and the Assiniboine Cougars and found themselves in two hard-fought games. Unfortunately, for the Pilots, both games were lost by 1 goal.

Head Coach Tory Walker reflected on the season: “If you looked at our record you would think this futsal season was terrible and demoralizing, however, having only two or three players on our team who had played futsal before, there was a ton of growth and development throughout the season.”

Walker says his team improved every single week and, while they did not win last weekend, their progress was clearly evident as they played against one of the top teams in the league.

Heading into the weekend, the women’s team already knew they had not qualified for the MCAC Championships, as only the top four teams in the conference make it to the playoff rounds. In spite of that disappointment, Coach Walker remained positive and hopeful for the future. “I am extremely proud to coach such a great group of young women. Now that the futsal season is over for us, my focus will shift to the next outdoor soccer season!”