The Cougars celebrated a weekend of wins, only conceding one loss in eight games played across men's and women's hockey and soccer. Each team had a series of stand-out statistical performances, so check out which players took home Players Bench Athlete of the Week honours below.

Players Bench Men's Athlete of the Week: Miguel Da Rocha

Miguel Da Rocha proved to be a scintillating scorer on the soccer pitch, securing a hat trick in the Cougars' Sunday afternoon 4-1 victory against the University of Lethbridge. Playing away from home, Da Rocha ensured that the 2024 Canada West men's soccer season ended on a high note with his sensational performance, putting the rest of the conference on notice for the upcoming Canada West men's soccer playoffs.

All of Da Rocha's goals came in the first half and each were thrilling to watch/ His first goal came off of Ben Creswick's backheel pass, which Da Rocha quickly spun around to shoot and score his team's first goal of the game. 

Cougars fans did not have to wait long for Da Rocha's second strike as the forward snuck behind the Pronghorns' back line to catch up to a full-field pass and score just 10 minutes after his first goal. 

Da Rocha saved his best goal for the last minute of the first half, back-flipping into a bicycle kick shot to earn his hat trick and give his team a commanding 3-0 lead at the end of the first half. The Cougars went on to win the game 4-1 and end the season with a 7-2-5 record, good for second in the division and only trailing the 10-1-3 University of Alberta Golden Bears.

The Cougars men's soccer team will face the University of Victoria Vikes in the first round of the Canada West men's soccer playoffs at Foote Field, home of the Golden Bears in Edmonton, and live on Canada West TV on Oct. 25 at 11:30 a.m. as they look to win back-to-back Canada West Men's Soccer Championships.

Players Bench Women's Athlete of the Week: Madeleine Albert

In the Cougars' two women's soccer matches over the weekend, MRU took on the TRU Wolfpack on Friday and the UBCO Heat on Sunday, bringing home a win against the former and a tie against the latter. Madeleine Albert contributed a goal and an assist in the pair of matches to earn Players Bench Athlete of the Week honours and help the women's soccer team finish their season with a 4-6-4 record.

Albert kicked off her productive weekend with some precise playmaking, assisting on Gabrielle Linford's game-tying goal in the first half of the Cougars' Friday evening match against the Wolfpack. TRU scored early in the game, thanks to Ainsley Grether, but as the pace of play turned chaotic, Albert took control of the ball and sent a perfect pass to Linford, who scored her third goal of the season to tie the game 1-1. Ruby Szautner later delivered a perfect curveball lob to Taylor Young, who buried the game-winning goal and secured a 2-1 victory for her squad.

In the final game of the season, Albert scored the Cougars' first goal of the game when she challenged Heat goalkeeper Talia Gagnon, tackling the ball away from her cleanly and deflecting it past her into the net. MRU kept their 1-0 advantage until they conceded a goal in the 64th minute, ending their season with a 1-1 draw and finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 4-6-4 record. Even though they will miss the 2024 Canada West Playoffs, the Cougars women's soccer team showed flashes of brilliance all season long. With their impressive player development, MRU proved that they have serious potential for future success and that their young, burgeoning talents deserve the fans' respect and attention.