The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s soccer team wore custom-made pink jerseys on Oct. 2 in their game against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen to honour Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The game, dubbed Play For a Cure, resulted in a 6-0 win for the Huskies after a commanding 5-0 victory on Oct. 1, earning the team six points and further establishing themselves atop the East division.

In an interview with the Sheaf, defender Hannah Zdunich-Costa, a fifth-year veteran, said the game was emotional given how many players on the team have been affected by cancer.

“All of us had somebody that we were thinking of and playing for, so it was just really special and important to be able to dedicate that game in a very public way to all the people who mean a lot to us.”

The skies above Griffith’s Stadium that evening were appropriately coloured pink just moments before the team stepped onto the field, noted Zdunich-Costa.

“The sunset was … this super bright pink, and there’s some pictures where the pink matches the exact color of our jerseys… Walking onto the field, I think everyone was just pretty relaxed and confident at what we’ve been working on all season,” said Zdunich-Costa. 

“Being able to bring that onto the field and perform for those people that we’re playing for was special.”

The team auctioned off the custom game-worn pink jerseys during the game, raising approximately $3,600 for the Canadian Cancer Society to fund research and provide support services to cancer patients and their families.

“There was a lot of excitement about being able to use the game to honour those people,” said Zdunich-Costa. She dedicated the game to her childhood friend, Anna, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the age of 10.

“My experience was nowhere near the same as [Anna’s], but I was also … a young kid having to watch my best friend go through that.”

“[It was] definitely … eye-opening at a young age to see what cancer can do to a person and to families,” said Zdunich-Costa. “She’s now 24 and completely cancer-free… I’m definitely very thankful that I still have her in my life.”

However, Zdunich-Costa wasn’t the only player to openly dedicate the game to someone special. 

In an Instagram post, the Huskies women’s soccer team shared some of the people that they were playing for that night, including rookie Alyssa D’Agnone’s aunt and fourth-year McKenna Olson’s grandmother, both of whom passed away from breast cancer.

Zdunich-Costa said that the game was a good bonding experience for the team as well.

“With something like cancer, you kind of know that everyone has been affected to some extent. But when you’re actually having discussions about it and telling stories about what you’ve gone through or what you’ve seen happen, it’s definitely eye-opening that there’s something bigger [that connects] all of us.”

Win or lose, Zdunich-Costa said the team knew how important the game was to raise awareness and honour all of the people who have been affected by cancer.

“We obviously do want to win, but it was still a meaningful game regardless of the result… I think the win was definitely the cherry on top in terms of all the hard work that we’ve put in over the last two years to really make it a special game.”

—

Jakob Philipchuk | Staff Writer

Photos: Nicholas Saretzky | Contributing Photojournalist