Three-point half a big confidence boost for Griffins veteran Brodeur, healthy again after ACL recovery

EDMONTON – ln a spectacular span of 11 minutes last Saturday, Nikki Brodeur flashed the form that made her second-leading scorer on the Griffins in her rookie season back in 2021.

Scoring goals in the 60^th and 71^st minutes, with an assist to Brynn Hobal in between, Brodeur had three points in a half, matching the feat that Sophie Lavallee accomplished in the first 45 minutes of MacEwan's 6-0 win over Regina.

"It was a great feeling to just play at my best and highest level I can," said Brodeur. "I knew we were doing so good out there already. I was just excited to show what I could do as well and help the team get more points, and finish where we need to be."

Her second goal of the game was also the 10^th regular season tally of her career – a nice milestone to hit in her final season.

"It's just nice to get recognition of my hard work finally getting out there," she said. "It was tough with my year out after the ACL (suffered in the final game of the 2022 season) and then last year just kind of getting back into soccer. 

"I feel good and it's nice to have the support from everyone on the team. For all of us, just keep getting more goals and keep doing better as a team."

The rise in her play is significant as she hadn't been the same since the knee injury.

"What a spark she gave us coming in as a game changer," said head coach Dean Cordeiro. "It was exactly what we were looking for. Nikki's got that quality about her and it was just great to see her be so clinical. I think we were lacking that earlier in the season just around goal with the ability to find the back of the net. 

"Nikki's one of the best at it. It was great to see three points in a half – you don't see that every day. She definitely made the most of her 45 minutes that day, which was great to see."

Brodeur will look to build off that performance as she leads the Griffins into another important home weekend with matches vs. Mount Royal on Saturday and Calgary on Sunday (both 12 p.m., Clarke Stadium, Canada West TV). Sunday's match is the Griffins' Minor Soccer Day with several youth teams expected to be in attendance.

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Initially a recruit of the University of Memphis to play NCAA Div. 1 soccer, the product of Edmonton Inter, returned to Alberta after just one semester, reuniting with Cordeiro, who coached her in youth.

"In her first year with us, Nikki was one of the most dangerous attacking players not just on our team but in the whole conference," said Cordeiro. "What she was able to do to help lift our team to nationals with a goal in that game to punch our ticket, and then she was great in all three games at nationals, playing a huge role for us. 

"We're hoping to rekindle some of that spark this year. She's looking good – what a great weekend and we hope that's just the start of something special down the stretch for her."

 In an iconic moment, Nikki Brodeur, left, joins teammates Kaylin Hermanutz and Grace Mwasalla in celebrating with goal scorer Raeghan McCarthy after she scored the opening tally in MacEwan's victory over Trinity Western in the 2021 U SPORTS Championship (Jefferson Hagen photo).

Brodeur actually scored the game-winner in MacEwan's 2-0 win over Saskatchewan in the 2021 Canada West bronze game and was an important player at the U SPORTS championship in Cape Breton, including playing 65 minutes in the gold medal match.

That was a taste of what she can do with her minutes given to her. And Brodeur would dearly love to bookend her career with national titles as she plays the final few games of her career before graduating after this semester.

"I just feel like I'm such a different person and player from my knee injury," she said. "I felt amazing when we won nationals, obviously. That was a huge milestone. I feel like it was a huge high to a huge low with my knee. 

"Getting back into the stride of things and getting out there, I feel like I'm back at that level I was at before the injury, which is amazing. It's like coming full circle and hopefully I get to end my career on the same high as the beginning of my career."

The Griffins will aim to continue on the path to that goal when they host the two teams currently above them in the Canada West Prairie Division standings this weekend. They owe both of them after dropping road matches to Calgary (1-0 on Sept. 6) and Mount Royal (2-0 on Sept. 7).

"It's a big weekend, for sure," said Cordeiro. "We're just taking it one game at a time. Our focal point now is the MRU game on the Saturday, and we'll switch gears for U of C on Sunday. They're the two teams that are just ahead of us in the table, so these are important games. 

"We're almost at the halfway point of the season, so the games mean a little bit more now. We've been working really hard, we're happy with where our game was this past weekend and we're just trying to ensure we're where we need to be for when Mount Royal rolls into town. So, we're excited for that game."