Bianca Cavalcanti Leads Bisons to Dramatic Comeback Victory

The Manitoba Bisons didn’t just steal a win in Lethbridge. They tore up the script.

Down 2-0 with less than 10 minutes to play, on the road, a day after losing to the same opponent, Manitoba looked headed for another long bus ride home. Instead, the Herd exploded for three goals in a furious late surge to beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-2 on Sunday at Community Stadium, handing interim head coach Fabio Capone his first victory in charge.

From flat weekend to wild finish

Saturday had stung. A 2-1 defeat to Lethbridge set the tone for the weekend, and for most of Sunday it felt like more of the same.

The Pronghorns struck first in the 25th minute and carried that 1-0 lead into halftime. When they doubled their advantage in the 73rd minute, Manitoba’s task looked brutal: two goals down, away from home, and time draining away.

The Bisons refused to fold.

The spark came in the 81st minute. Bianca Cavalcanti finally broke through, finding the back of the net to slice the deficit to 2-1 and jolt life into a game that had been slipping away.

Lethbridge barely had time to reset. Just over two minutes later, Cavalcanti struck again, this time pulling Manitoba level at 2-2 and turning a quiet stadium into a tense one. A match the Pronghorns had controlled suddenly belonged to the visitors.

Cavalcanti takes over

Now the momentum was all brown and gold.

With Lethbridge reeling, Manitoba kept pushing. The pressure told in the 88th minute, when Cavalcanti completed a remarkable hat trick, hammering home the winner and finishing off a three-goal blitz in under seven minutes.

Every Manitoba goal had the same name attached: Cavalcanti. She carried the attack, dragged her team back from 2-0 down, and delivered the Bisons’ first conference victory of the season almost single-handedly.

Behind her, Bridget Murphy did her part in goal, closing the door late as Lethbridge tried to salvage something from a match that had suddenly slipped from their grasp.

A first win with extra weight

For Capone, the result went far beyond the scoreline. The comeback not only secured a valuable road win and a split of the weekend series, it also marked his first triumph as interim head coach and a clear statement about the Bisons’ character.

“This one means a little more than just a result. There have been a lot of challenges, lessons and moments behind the scenes that have made this journey so meaningful. I'm incredibly proud of this group and grateful to be part of their journey. This is only one chapter. The story continues to be written. And the best part is, we're writing it together. One training, one game, one moment at a time. This group is starting to believe in what we can become and I couldn't be prouder to be on this journey with them,” Capone said from the road after the win.

Now, Manitoba heads home with something tangible: belief, momentum, and a signature comeback already in the bank.

Next up is homecoming at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Princess Auto Stadium, where fans get in for free. After what they just witnessed from a distance, how loud will the Herd sound on their own turf?