Griffins out-chance defending CW silver medalist MRU, but can't find scoreboard in 2-0 defeat
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 2 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats
Mount Royal University
| Game Statistics | Mount Royal University | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 11 (3) | 19 (7) |
| Saves | 7 | 1 |
| Fouls | 9 | 12 |
| Corner Kicks | 1 | 6 |
| Offsides | 4 | 2 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Fully deserving of a result, if not the full three points in a match where they out-chanced and out-possessed the defending Canada West silver medalist Mount Royal Cougars, the MacEwan Griffins men's soccer team instead suffered a 2-0 defeat on Saturday.
They can chalk it up as a moral victory after one of their best efforts of the season went unrewarded when they ran into a hot goalkeeper.
MRU escaped with a win on the back of fourth-year veteran Sjard Strauss, who was outstanding in making seven saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season.
"Their keeper played well," said MacEwan head coach Adam Loga. "He made some good saves. He's a good keeper. Great guy, too – an international from Germany. That was really the difference."
MacEwan outshot MRU 19-11 (7-3 on goal) in the match and it wasn't even like you could blame the Griffins' finishing touch for not finding the scoreboard.
Strauss robbed Ali Yildiz three times– laying out to parry away the forward's fabulous spin-a-rama blast from the top of the box in the 23rd minute, diving again to tip away his curling free kick in the 69th and making a brilliant save on his sharp top-of-the-box blast in the 84th.
Yildiz finished with four shots on goal, tying the MacEwan program record for the most in a Canada West match.
Macky Mahfouz also had it going again for the Griffins. A game after setting a rookie program record for shots in a game with eight, he had five on Saturday with two finding the target – most notably in the 43rdminute when Strauss punched away a rocket off the striker's left foot from inside the box.
"As far as how we played, I thought we played very well, very steady," said Loga. "The boys followed the tactics well. That's a team that's looking to win a national championship. That being said, we want to win a national championship. We've just got to keep working and see how things go."
With the result, MRU improves to 5-1-4, while MacEwan falls to 0-7-3.
The game was scoreless at the half, but MRU finally opened the scoring in the 66th minute when a deflection in the area landed right onto the boot of second-half sub Kwasi Oteng-Frimpong for a tap-in. Griffins players immediately thought he was offside, but officials conferred and determined it was a good goal.
MRU's Hyunsoo Ryu added an insurance marker in the 83rd minute on an inspired long range free kick that expertly curled around the wall and inside the left post.
"A set piece, we need to stay switched on," said Loga. "Someone went down in the box and we kind of switched off for a bit. It happens. The first goal, who knows? I'd have to look at the tape."
Regardless of the result, the effort was a clear step forward for a Griffins team that still has a shot of catching a playoff spot, but they need to start stringing wins together if they have any hope.
"We worked a lot on our zone 3 and 4," said Loga of creating way more chances on Saturday than they've had in any game in 2025. "The biggest thing I'm happy about from the boys is the effort, first and foremost, but when they listen and do what's asked, they're a very, very good team no matter who's in the lineup. We're rotating and interchanging as one. They followed the tactics to a T today. One of the goals wasn't in the run of play."
The Griffins' Game MVP went to midfielder Azar El Khallaa, who was excellent in his role.
"He rolls into the midfield very well – controlled, composed, kept it well, good decisions," said Loga. "One thing we've worked on with him quite a bit is his transition back into defensive shape. He did that well today.
"It's a hybrid role for him within our game model, so it's not always the easiest, especially for a first year, but he just keeps getting better every week."
MacEwan will host Calgary on Sunday (12 p.m., Edmonton Scottish, Canada West TV) in their final home regular season game of 2025.
