LAC LA BICHE – Cue the Pat Benatar track. Of course, if you're under the age of 40, you likely have no idea who or what the author of this article is referring to. Given that, the author of this article wishes to sincerely apologize for his advancing age and ancient references – and bad puns and run on sentences and…Sorry. Ahem! Nonetheless….Asked to capture the 2022-23 Portage College Voyageurs Women's Soccer Team's season in a few words, Head Coach Kika Mukuninwa invokes the titled of the rock singer's 1984 Top-10 hit.
"I would summarize our season with the phrase, 'we belong,'" he says. "Our women's team showed that they belong, competing and scoring against some of the best teams in the league."
Indeed. Only a few years removed from an inaugural Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference (ACAC) season where the team was routinely trounced and didn't score a goal, the Voyageurs continued to make great strides in 2022-23, notching eight goals and playing competitive footie right to the season's final whistle. With a strong core of returning players and a strong list of newcomers on the way, Mukuninwa is optimistic that his expanded roster will be ready for prime time this coming season.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the next step in our program's progression," he says. "I believe that we now have the depth of squad to challenge teams."
The momentum of a steadily-improving squad carried forward indoors and translated into a much-improved 2023 futsal season. While the women did not advance to the ACAC championships, they played some competitive futsal and made their opponents earn their victories.
"The ladies did the College proud with strong performances," says Mukuninwa. "With a number of players having never played futsal before, it was impressive to see how quickly they adapted to the indoor game."
As he prepares for the upcoming soccer and futsal seasons, the head coach is excited to see what his players can do now that they have the benefit of experience and some new, talented recruits on the way.
"I believe we'll be right up there with the established powers in our league," says Mukuninwa.