Otterburne, MB. — It was a busy and successful opening weekend for the Providence University College Pilots soccer teams, with both the men's and women's teams playing twice as they opened their respective MCAC campaigns.
The Pilots hosted the CMU Blazers on Saturday, September 12, for the home opener before travelling to Brandon on Sunday, September 13, to take on the Brandon University Bobcats.
 
Women's Soccer Earns Six-Point Weekend
The Providence women's soccer team opened the weekend in dominant fashion, defeating the CMU Blazers 7-0 in their home opener.
The Pilots came out strong and never let up, controlling the game from start to finish. Serena Negrich led the offensive attack with an impressive four-goal performance and was named the MCAC Player of the Match.
The victory gave Providence an important three points to begin the season and set the tone for the weekend.
The Pilots then travelled to Brandon on Sunday for a rematch of the 2025 MCAC Championship Final, where the Bobcats defeated Providence 2-0.
This time, the Pilots flipped the script.
In a tightly contested battle, Providence found the breakthrough late in the match. In the 88th minute, Hayley Medeiros headed home a set-piece delivery to give the Pilots a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Bobcats.
While Medeiros provided the game-winning goal, Sara Zorniak was named the Pilots' Player of the Match after making several outstanding and courageous saves to keep Providence in the game and preserve the clean sheet.
The two victories gave the Pilots a perfect six-point weekend to begin the season.

Negrich reflected on the team's opening weekend:
"Our relentlessness and determination carried us to our first 6-point weekend. We are looking forward to continuing to grow and building as a team on our pillars and game."
Zorniak was also proud of the team's performance and earning MCAC player of the game and what the weekend represents moving forward:
"I'm incredibly grateful to be apart of the Pilot family. We persevered as a team to secure the 6-point weekend. This is going to fuel us for the season."
The weekend was an important statement for the Pilots, who finished as runners-up in the MCAC last season and will look to build on Sunday's victory over the defending champions.
 

Men's Soccer Shows Improvement Against Brandon
The Providence men's soccer team began its MCAC campaign on Saturday against CMU, but struggled in the second half as the Blazers scored five goals to come away with the victory.
The Pilots responded with a much stronger performance on Sunday against the Brandon University Bobcats.
Providence created numerous scoring opportunities and showed significant improvement throughout the match, putting themselves in positions to take control of the game. However, the Pilots were unable to capitalize on their chances and ultimately settled for a 1-1 draw.
Despite dropping points, the performance showed a positive response from the Pilots and provided plenty of encouragement as they continue their MCAC schedule.
After finishing fourth in the MCAC last season, Providence will look to carry the positives from Sunday's performance into its upcoming matches.
Both Pilots teams will now turn their attention to the next stretch of the MCAC season as they look to continue building momentum.
 

Next Up: Back-to-Back Home Games
The Pilots will return home next weekend for a pair of back-to-back home games at Providence.
Saturday, September 19
vs. Assiniboine College

• Men's Soccer — 1:00 PM
• Women's Soccer — 3:15 PM

Sunday, September 20
vs. University of Saint Boniface

• Men's Soccer — 1:00 PM
• Women's Soccer — 3:15 PM

The Pilots will look to build on their opening weekend as they return to the pitch in front of the home crowd for another exciting weekend of MCAC soccer.