Bisons’ female kicker makes U Sports history in win over Rams

History was made Saturday in Winnipeg – and it was at the expense of the University of Regina Rams.

University of Manitoba Bisons kicker Maya Turner booted a 21-yard field goal at the 5:18 mark of the second quarter to become the first woman to score points in a U Sports regular-season football game. Her three-pointer gave the Bisons a 3-2 lead over the Rams.

Making #HERstory!

Maya Turner has just become the first female to record a point in a @USPORTSca regular season football game.

What a moment.

Congrats, Maya! pic.twitter.com/v5EWyrKsky

— Canada West (@CanadaWest) September 23, 2023

To top off Turner’s historic day, her 21-yard field goal in overtime proved to be the winning points in the Bisons’ 27-24 Canada West victory.

Just by suiting up in her first game of the 2023 season, Turner — a product of Maple Grove, Minn. — became the first woman to appear in a U Sports regular-season football game.

Quarterback Jackson Tachinski scored on four- and one-yard runs for the Bisons and also threw a 15-yard scoring pass to De Shawn Le Jour. Turner converted all three of those majors.

Marshall Erichsen (27-yard run), Rylan Sokul (27-yard pass from Owen Sieben) and offensive lineman Ethan Graham (one-yard pass from short-yardage quarterback Brayden Wagg) had touchdowns for the Rams, who got two converts from Andrew Sweeney and a two-point convert from Erichsen. Regina also recorded a safety.

Erichsen’s two-point convert with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter tied the game at 24-24 and forced overtime.

After each team failed to score on its first possession of OT, Turner split the uprights to give the Bisons the lead. The Rams had a chance to tie on their possession, but a 45-yard field-goal attempt was no good.

Erichsen had 66 yards rushing on seven carries for Regina. Sieben was 23-for-37 passing for 294 yards, with D’Sean Mimbs accounting for 94 of those yards on five receptions.

Manitoba rolled up 543 yards of total offence to improve to 1-3-0. The Rams (1-3-0) had 393 yards of total offence.

Regina is to visit the University of Alberta Golden Bears (3-1-0) next Friday in Edmonton.

This past Friday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies improved to 3-1-0 with a 28-12 victory over the host University of Calgary Dinos (0-4-0).

Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 171 yards, but was intercepted four times.

Ryker Frank rushed 14 times for 101 yards and had a one-yard touchdown run for the Huskies, who got 15 carries for 83 yards and a seven-yard TD run from Ted Kubongo.

Nixen Voll provided Saskatchewan’s other touchdown on a 30-yard interception return. David Solie added two field goals, three converts and a single for the Huskies.

Saskatchewan had 339 yards of total offence to the Dinos’ 124.

The Huskies play host to the first-place UBC Thunderbirds (4-0-0) on Friday.