The @cougarsacc futsal program got its man.
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Longtime futsal player and coach Diego Rodriguez committed to leading the Cougars in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference.
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Rodriguez spent time as the assistant coach of the Cougars’ cross-town rivals, Brandon University, and helped guide the Bobcats to the final last season.
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“I’m very excited to lead the Cougars and help create a winning culture at Assiniboine,” Rodriguez said.
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Rodriguez, who is originally from Colombia, has a wealth of experience in futsal and soccer. He’s helped guide several teams to championships in the province leaning on his time playing as a professional in Colombia in the early 1990s.
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“I want to take it step by step to build a lasting program, but at the same time I don’t want to wait too long to be playing for championships,” Rodriquez said. “We’re going to show that Assiniboine can do big things.”
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Assiniboine Athletic Director Beth Clark said landing Rodriquez is a boon for the program.
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“We’re thrilled to land someone with Diego’s character and resume to coach our futsal and soccer teams,” Clark said. “Obviously he’s achieved a high level of success on the field both in his career as a player and a coach, but we believe his connections in the Westman soccer community will be a huge asset to both programs.”
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Rodriguez will be joined in the coaching ranks by Vitaliy Bernatskyy, who played alongside Rodriquez on a travelling senior team from Brandon that captured a silver medal at the Winkler Fall Invitational.
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“I hope to help the program any way possible,” said Bernatskyy, who is originally from Ukraine. “And our goal is to win.”
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Rodriguez and Bernatskyy expect to bring an aggressive style of play to the Cougars this season, which kicks off with Assiniboine hosting the Brandon University Bobcats on Jan. 11.
Congratulations to Brooke Paulsen, first-year nursing student with the RRC Rebels women’s volleyball team, who is our female Athlete of the Week!
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Paulsen led the Rebels to two wins this past weekend against the ACC Cougars to open the season 2-0. She led the team with an impressive defensive effort tallying 34 digs over the weekend also adding 4 service aces and 18 kills.
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“Brooke is an excellent defender,” said Rebels head coach Dan McGregor, “she leads by example in practices and games with a positive attitude and strong work ethic.”
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The Rebels take on the PUC Pilots (0-0) in a home-and-home series this weekend, playing at RRC on Friday night at 6:00 PM then in Otterburne, MB Saturday at 6:00 PM.
Congratulations to @cmu_blazers fourth-year midfielder Naomi Klassen, who is our female Athlete of the Week. Klassen scored a header against the @provathletics in this past weekend’s Final Four and saved a critical breakaway off the line in the final to help the Blazers win the 2018 women’s soccer championship 2-0 over the two-time defending champion @bubobcats.
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“The clearance really personified Naomi’s play in that she showed awareness of the trailing player, sprinted past several players on both teams without giving up, and sacrificed her body to make the play,” said co-head coach Lianna Bestvater.
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“Naomi is the engine of our team,” said Bestvater continued. “She consistently and diligently does her job at holding midfield, winning tackles and intelligently distributing the ball. During playoffs we required her to play a few different positions based on the game situation, which she did admirably and unquestioningly.”
Congratulations to @cmu_blazers first-year right back Kieran Baydock, who is our male Athlete of the Week. Baydock’s contribution to his team this past weekend was essential to the Blazers 1-0 men’s soccer championship win over the top-ranked @bubobcats •
“He is a solid defender that provided crucial tackles, defensive organization, winning balls in the air and shutting down the best of the Bobcats attacks,” said Blazers first-year head coach Anderson Pereira”
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“His great crosses resulted in a beautiful assist to the winning goal in the final,” Pereira continued. “Not to mention his leadership in the dressing room and on the field motivates the guys to give their best and believe in themselves.”
