Three Stars: Mwasalla, Egwu and Kirwer earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Women's soccer student-athlete Grace Mwasalla is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after scoring three goals in two games on the weekend.
Mwasalla scored twice in MacEwan's 3-0 win over UNBC on Saturday before scoring the winning goal in the Griffins' 1-0 triumph over Calgary on Sunday.
Men's soccer defender Kelsey Egwu and women's hockey forward Shyla Kirwer are the second and third stars of the week, respectively.
All three are appearing on the Three Stars list for the first time in 2022-23.
1st STAR: Grace Mwasalla, F/M, women's soccer
Calgary, AB, second-year, Arts
The reigning MacEwan Female Rookie of the Year brought it on the weekend for the Griffins scoring three goals in two games.
That earned her the Canada West women's soccer athlete of the week honour on Tuesday.
Mwasalla scored MacEwan's second and third goals of the game in a 3-0 win over UNBC on Saturday before scoring the 72nd-minute winner over Calgary in a 1-0 win Sunday.
On Saturday, Mwasalla got a toe on Alyx Henderson's shot, tipping it off a defender and in before taking a cross from Anneke Odinga and slotting it in the corner.
On Sunday, her goal came when she split Calgary's centre-backs after getting a through ball from Hannah Supina and finding the back of the net.
On the season, Mwasalla leads the Griffins with four goals in six games.
She'll lead MacEwan into a pair of road games this weekend, Saturday at Lethbridge (12 p.m.) and Sunday at Mount Royal University (1 p.m., both Canada West TV).
2nd STAR: Kelsey Egwu, D, men's soccer
Toronto, ON, first-year, Open Studies
Kelsey Egwu gets his head on a ball during action against UBC Okanagan on Sunday (Rebecca Chelmick photo).
The 6-foot-5 centre-back has been a calming influence on MacEwan's defence ever since his first action in the team's third game of the season.
And on the weekend, it was no different as Egwu logged back-to-back 90-minute performances as a rock on the back line.
MacEwan earned a 1-1 draw with Victoria before falling 2-0 to UBC Okanagan.
The former FC Edmonton defender was a big part of their efforts, consistently repelling and shutting down the visitors' attacks.
Egwu will lead the Griffins into road action this weekend at Trinity Western on Friday (8:15 p.m. MT) and at UNBC on Sunday (1 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
3rd STAR: Shyla Kirwer, F, women's hockey
Sherwood Park, AB, fourth-year, Science
Shyla Kirwer put in a pair of strong two-way performances for the Griffins women's hockey team in exhibition action last week (Joel Kingston photo).
The veteran Griffins forward stood out during a pair of exhibition games for the Griffins over the weekend – losses to Alberta (3-2 in OT) and NAIT (4-2).
Kirwer was the Griffins' leader in terms of team values and style of play in both games, showing off a relentless work ethic and two-way game. She also scored a goal against NAIT.
The Griffins head into a busy final weekend of exhibition play ahead of their regular season opener at Regina on Sept. 30. They'll travel to Calgary to face the Dinos on Thursday (6 p.m.) before a two-game weekend series in Vermilion, AB against Lakeland College (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 5 p.m.).
