FC Northwest Starz win 2022 Manitoba Soccer women’s provincial championship

FC Northwest Starz won their second Manitoba Soccer women’s provincial championship on Saturday after winning a two-match series over city rivals Winnipeg WSA North Stars in the 2022 final. FC Northwest won the two-match series 6:1 on aggregate following a 4:0 win on Thursday 21 July and then a 2:1 win on Saturday 23 July. With the win, FC Northwest qualified for Canada Soccer’s 2022 Toyota National Championships in Vaughan, Ontario.

Lauren Martens, Taylor Kidd (two) and Kailyn Balfour were the goalscorers in the Thursday match while Kari Hermann and Kidd (her third) were the goalscorers on Saturday. Selina Speranza scored WSA North Stars’ lone goal on Saturday.

Across the two matches, coach Jason McGrevy’s roster featured Jamie Flett (goal), Holly Angus, Kailyn Balfour, Emma Dicks, Alexa Driver, Anna Gesell, Katherine Gursky, Paige Heide, Kari Hermann, Taylor Kidd, Katrina Krcadinac, Lauren Martens, Nicole Redekopp, Kaitlyn Reimer, Sara Schur, Wynter Sousa, Isabela Vergara, Jessica Vermeulen, Daria Winzoski, and Rachel Winzoski.

This year marked the return of the Manitoba provincial championships for the first since the global pandemic canceled competitions in 2020 and 2021. The 2022 Manitoba Soccer provincial championships were played at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex in Winnipeg. FC Northwest won the 2019 Manitoba Soccer women’s provincial championship by acclamation and then finished in eighth place at the Toyota National Championships in St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador.