Yassin makes history as the first Griffin to win a Canada West men's soccer player of the week award
September 17, 2024

Yassin makes history as the first Griffin to win a Canada West men's soccer player of the week award

Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – After a monumental weekend where he led the Griffins to two wins and broke the program record for the most career goals, Rakan Yassin has made more history.

The electric forward is the first MacEwan student-athlete to win a Canada West men's soccer player of the week award.

The conference made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, honouring Yassin for a four-point weekend in leading the Griffins to wins over Thompson Rivers and UNBC.

"It's well deserved," said MacEwan head coach Adam Loga of the landmark moment for the program that has competed in Canada West since 2014. "It continues to show the growth of the program. Sadly, it had to take this long, but better late than never, for sure."

Yassin is also the first Griffins student athlete to earn a conference player of the week award in the 2024-25 season.

At Thompson Rivers on Friday, the fifth-year forward scored twice and added an assist in a 3-2 win. In the process, he tied five program records: two goals in game, career goals mark (11), most points in a game (3), most shots on goal in a game (4) and the career penalty kicks goals standard (3).

After scoring the game-winner in a 4-1 triumph over UNBC on Sunday, Yassin broke the career goals mark that he shared with Everett Orgnero. He also tied the career game-winning goals record of three, previously set by Stefan Gajic, and reached 17 career points, just one shy of Lahai Mansaray's program record.

"What makes me smile as his coach for a while now is just his maturity and his leadership," said Loga. "I think over the years, sometimes we fell that little bit short because we maybe just lack some leadership. He's taken it upon himself to bring that little bit more. You can see it spill out – obviously leading by example but in the locker-room he's more vocal.

"It's one thing to say something in the locker-room as a leader, but it's another thing to say something with purpose and have it affect the lads and make an impact," he added. "You're seeing that this season. When he can do that and go out and back it up with his play, there's not much more you can ask for as a staff."

The Griffins will host UFV on Saturday and Trinity Western on Sunday (both 12 p.m., Edmonton Scottish, Canada West TV).