Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Unfinished business brought Kaylin Hermanutz back to MacEwan for her final season of eligibility even though she's already graduated with a degree in Psychology.

Despite making the Final Four four times since joining Canada West in 2014, the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team is still searching for its first U SPORTS national championship berth.

If that's to be rectified this season, the talented midfielder will be among those leading the charge. And there's every indication she is up to the task with a rising level of play that has her already making a major impact for the Griffins.

"I feel I have improved this season in my own personal game – getting on the ball and helping defensively," said Hermanutz. "I think that just comes from playing with older girls when I was on this team.

"Then, this past outdoor season with semi-pro (St. Albert Impact in the United Women's Soccer Leagues) and feeling like I was in top form coming into MacEwan, I think all of that together just is making me strive to play the best I can, knowing in the back of my brain that this is my last season with MacEwan and my last chance. I'm just trying to give it my all."

Hermanutz will lead the Griffins (3-1-0) into a home doubleheader against the cross-town rival Alberta Pandas (2-2-0) on Saturday and Sunday (both 12 p.m., Clareview Stadium, Canada West TV presented by Co-op).

The Griffins are coming in off two-straight road wins – 4-1 over Lethbridge and 2-0 over Mount Royal last weekend – in which Hermanutz contributed a goal and an assist.

Against the Pronghorns, she jumped on a rebound off traffic in front on a corner-kick and threaded it in off the right post. A day later against MRU, her sublime pass from midfield split the defence and sent Salma Kamel in alone for MacEwan's second goal of the game.

"For me, she's our best passer of the ball," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro. "Her vision in midfield is second to none. She sees those windows and opportunities to play balls and send people in. It's all about timing and execution, but Kaylin's just got a knack for threading the needle in those situations."

The thing that makes her so special, though, is Hermanutz is equally adept at defending from her midfield position.

"We expect a lot from our central midfield players," said Cordeiro. "They're the engine – we play through them – and they're expected to drive play offensively but also be stout defensively. Kaylin's game has just really evolved in all those facets. She's just so sound defensively. Her ability to intercept passes and read the play is elite."

That next level certainly was honed this summer in the UWS where Hermanutz came off the bench for the Impact, but gained playing time as the season went along.

"I think I just learned a lot about playing at a higher level and playing faster and quicker," she said. "Especially as a midfield, just watching girls that are better than I am like former Griffin Erika (Vecchio, who also an assistant coach with MacEwan) – it was great playing with her.

"I think playing with people who are at that higher level just makes you better. I think I carried that into the MacEwan season, as well."

It's the evolution of a journey for Hermanutz that began at MacEwan in 2017 when she transferred in from NCAA Div. 1 play at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Kaylin Hermanutz battles for possession against Alberta's Brooke Lang during a Sept. 4 meeting between the teams (Chris Piggott photo).

She'd dearly love to finish off her university career strong before keeping the door open to play professionally.

"I think it's definitely a goal for a lot of us," she said of a group of Griffins inspired by former teammate Emily Burns, who plays in the French first division.  

"As a young soccer player, I probably always dreamed of playing at a higher level and seeing Emily Burns, who is a close friend of mine, play there is pretty awesome."

First things, first, though, and that's taking care of business on the 2021 Canada West season. This weekend's matches against Alberta will go a long way in determining playoff positioning. Only the top two teams in the Central Division are guaranteed a post-season berth with the third-place team needing to finish ahead of the fourth-place finisher in the West Division in order to get in via a wild-card spot.

In their previous meeting this season – Sept. 4 – the Griffins blanked the Pandas 2-0.

"Teams are starting to play for their post-season lives and it starts this weekend," said Cordeiro. "I fully expect a playoff-like environment already and we're only at the fifth game of the season."

That's not lost on the Griffins players.

"I think all of us know how important this weekend is," said Hermanutz. "It's coming across in training and our intensity is at another level. We all have the same goal in mind – make it to Cape Breton.

"As long as we have that and we're all supporting each other and just being the best we can be, I think it's going to come across this weekend."