NEWS : Provost Powers to Second OUA MVP Award, Gee-Gees earn five All-Star nods
The goals just kept coming for Cassandra Provost and the Gee-Gees this season, and the third-year striker has been recognized by the OUA conference with the OUA East Division Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight year, with four teammates also earning OUA All-Star recognition.
Provost was the OUA leader in goals scored and points scored this season. Her 23 goals in 12 games established a new Gee-Gees record and ranked second nationally.
Joining Provost on the conference All-Star squads were two players who also recorded impressive offensive statistics this season as the Garnet and Grey tied their program record with 4.58 goals per game (55 goals scored in 12 regular season matches).
Nibo Dlamini potted six goals to rank second on the Gee-Gees this season, establishing a career high in her third season. Importantly, Dlamini added eight assists and was vital to the set up of the offense overall; she was named an OUA First Team All-Star and ranked third in the OUA in overall points. This is the first All-Star recognition for the human kinetics student from Ottawa.
Jenna Matsukubo was selected to the Second Team of All-Stars after leading the conference in assists with 10, which also established a new Gee-Gees record. The lightning-fast Matsukubo scored five goals as well, finishing with 15 points in her first season at uOttawa – the medicine student from Ottawa was also an OUA All-Star in 2022 when she led the conference with ten assists while playing for Queen's.
Ottawa's defensive core earned recognition as well, with centre back Maya Smith named to the First Team of All-Stars and team captain Adriane Devlin named to the Second Team at full back. The Gee-Gees allowed just 0.35 goals per game, which ranked sixth best in team history.
It is the first OUA All-Star award for Smith, who was previously an RSEQ First Team All-Star during the 2023 Indoor season. The health sciences student's presence has been vital for uOttawa since her rookie campaign in 2021, anchoring the back line. Smith also contributed two goals this season.
Devlin becomes a three-time OUA All-Star, following up on accolades earned in 2021 and 2022. Devlin's grit and technique on the outside, as well as her willingness to push forward, have been hallmarks of the Gee-Gees defence since her rookie campaign in 2019. The psychology student from Stouffville, Ont., recorded two assists this season.
Provost had eight multi-goal games for Ottawa this year and twice scored four goals in a game. Her ability to finish in all situations: from distance, in the box, and rising for headers, makes her an elite goal scorer who has proven nearly impossible to stop.
A fourth-year management student from Acton Vale, Que., Provost added three assists to finish with 26 points, also a Gee-Gees record. She has been an OUA East Major Award winner in all three of her eligibility seasons, receiving the Rookie of the Year honour in 2021.
Provost, who was named the National Player of the Year for 2022, is the second Gee-Gee to repeat as OUA East Player of the Year, joining Pilar Khoury who won in 2014-15. Ottawa has had the OUA East Player of the Year, and goal-scoring leader, the last four seasons; prior to Provost's double it was Emma Lefebvre in 2021 and Mikayla Morton in 2019.
2023 GEE-GEES OUA ALL-STAR AND AWARDS SUMMARY:
OUA East Most Valuable Player: Cassandra Provost
OUA East First Team All-Stars: Maya Smith (defender), Nibo Dlamini (midfielder), Cassandra Provost (striker)
OUA East Second Team All-Star: Adriane Devlin (defender), Jenna Matsukubo (striker)
HISTORICAL GEE-GEES OUA EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS (9):
Cassandra Provost - 2023
Cassandra Provost – 2022
Emma Lefebvre – 2021
Mikayla Morton - 2019
Pilar Khoury - 2015
Pilar Khoury - 2014
Julia Francki - 2013
Gillian Baggott - 2012
Amanda Robinson - 2007