Courtesy: Huskie Athletics

By Katie Brickman-Young

Huskies Women's Soccer Team on top of division.

Huskies off to Manitoba Oct 15-16

Oct 9, 2021 | 8:24 AM

Maya Gabruch and her fellow teammates made a promise to each other that they would all finish their University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskies soccer careers together.

Gabruch, a fifth-year forward and captain of the Huskies women’s soccer team is off to a hot start, helping lead the team to a 6-1-1 record, sitting atop of the East Division.

“It means a lot to have all the fifth years come back,” said Gabruch. “We all came in together and we made a promise to each other that we would all go out together.”

The five fifth-year players weren’t even sure they would get the opportunity to complete their final year with the Huskies after last season was cancelled due to the pandemic. After 20 months of training in small groups, with masks on, the team is locked in and ready to show what they are capable of on the pitch.

“This team has been working hard for 20 months, so to experience the quality and depth of our practices and games, it’s good to see the gains we’ve made,” said Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, head coach of the Huskies women’s soccer team. “Plus, all the hard work that’s been put on behind the scenes, the girls are starting to see the rewards.”

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Some of that ‘behind-the-scenes’ work is the implementation and use of technology to better track the athletes during practice, game time, and downtime. The team is using GPS monitors to track heart rate and distance covered, along with speed and sprint rate.

“It allows us as coaching staff to monitor their individualized load and better prepare our sessions for the teams, but also as individuals,” said Barandica-Hamilton. “We are a very technological-based team, and it gives us insights into finding new ways to maximize performance.”

Another tool the team is using is the AthleteMonitoring app, a check-in questionnaire that helps the athletes track sleep, mood, stress, and soreness, among other things.

“Every morning, the girls fill in the questionnaire, which takes about two minutes,” explained Barandica-Hamilton. “This gives us insight into when players might be at risk of getting injured. It also allows us to stay connected with our players and get ahead of any potential issues.”

As an athlete, Gabruch is used to the physical aspect of training for a season, practices, and games. The mental side as a student-athlete isn’t always discussed during sport and she welcomes the change, and the team has seen the benefits of checking in daily with themselves through the app.

“A lot of that stuff [around mental health] goes unnoticed. Everyone sees the physical side of the game, but not everyone knows what’s going on under the table,” she said. “It has helped a lot of the players to be more open. We also have great resources here at the university that we can reach out to.”

Whether it is the use of technology or the time off to bond as a team, this Huskies squad is currently on a three-game winning streak and will look to continue that against the University of Manitoba Bisons on October 15^th and 16^th in Winnipeg.

“It has been a great experience for us. We have two sets of rookies, along with our veteran group,” said Barandica-Hamilton. “It has been a great mix because the young ones are coming in without the pressure of having to perform and they are learning. Our program has evolved to a point where we are supposed to win and play for playoffs.”

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Huskies have put themselves in a good spot, but they are hungry for more.

“The first goal is to be No. 1 in our division. We want to host a playoff game and hopefully make it to the final four and then make nationals,” said Barandica-Hamilton. “We know how good of a team we are, and we are just relishing the opportunity to play games and enjoy every day. IF we do that, we have no doubts on where we want to be at the end of the year.”