U Sports – Huskies top Spartans by overtime penalty kicks

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – Six days ago it was a different story as the Trinity Western Spartans eliminated the Saskatchewan Huskies from gold medal play with a 2-0 win in Canada West semifinal matchup. This time the Huskies captured a consolation semifinal win over the Spartans, but it wasn’t easy.

Following a hard fought 0-0 tie after regulation time, the game followed overtime format for consolation games and headed straight into penalty kicks.

The result was an entertaining keeper versus keeper kickoff, after five kicks were not enough to settle the right to move onward to the consolation final.

The Huskies celebrated an eventual 5-4 win over the Spartans – the first time the Saskatchewan Huskies have defeated Trinity Western in conference and U Sports play.

A matchup that saw little offensive domination by either team, only recorded three shots on goal in total of which all were posted by the Spartans.

Ninety minutes of play offered no solid scoring opportunities and the final outcome was settled by the sure foot of Huskies keeper Kyleigh Vause (Calgary, Alta.) who scored on her attempt and also made a key save.

“This was actually the first time doing penalty kicks in my soccer career. It’s kind of fun because we always practice it and it was fun to actually score,” commented Vause, who was named the Adidas Player of the Game. 

“Trinity is our rival back home and it’s the first time we have every beaten them in school history which is huge,” added Vause.

While the loss marked a low for the Spartans who are routinely in medal rounds of national championships, the Huskies revelled in the win.

“We definitely wanted to beat them since it is our first time at nationals,” said Vause as she joined her teammates in celebration.

The Huskies will move on to the consolation final, scheduled for Saturday, November 12 at noon against the winner of the second consolation semifinal between StFX and Acadia.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX vs. Acadia (Watch Online)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval vs. UOIT (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online) 

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan vs. StFX/Acadia (Watch Online)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

14:30 Championship final (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

 

Axewomen gain revenge on StFX, advance to CIS consolation final

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – When Acadia and StFX met in this year’s AUS women’s soccer final Nov. 6, the X-Women claimed a 2-1 victory in a game that took penalty kicks to decide.

As fate would have it, just five days later, the same two teams hooked up in consolation semifinal action at the CIS championship, this time on Acadia’s home field.

Once again, the two evenly-matched squads battled through regulation time dead even, this time with one goal apiece. Under the tournament rules for consolation play, the game went directly to penalty kicks to decide the final outcome and a berth in the consolation final Saturday, Nov. 12.

All five shooters chosen by Axewomen head coach Amit Batra – Emily Nickerson (Coldbrook N.S.), Candace Conrad (Dartmouth, N.S.), Katie Ross (Bedford, N.S.), Madison Kelly (Dartmouth, N.S.) and finally Emelie Poirier (Dartmouth, N.S.) – all found the back of the net.

Margaux Fraser (Mississauga, Ont.), Chloe Brennan (Brookside, N.S.) and Elise Brennan (Brookside, N.S.) scored shootout goals for StFX., but Acadia keeper Emma Connell (Hampton, N.S.) stopped the second X-women shooter, Brittany Parks (Kennetcook, N.S.), giving Acadia the victory.

Acadia enjoyed a wide edge in play, particularly in the second half; the Axewomen finished with 11 shots to just two for StFX and had seven corner kicks to none for the X-women.

StFX opened the scoring on a goal by Brittany Parks at 14:15 of the first half, which ended with the X-Women still holding a slim 1-0 advantage.

Acadia started the second half strong, picking up several good scoring chances, but was unable to net the equalizer until fourth-year defender Emily Nickerson scored at the 60-minute mark off a corner kick by teammate Katie Ross.

Ross, who used her booming kicks to gain field position for the Axewomen, was named Acadia’s Player of the Game. Chloe Brennan earned Player of the Game honours for StFX.

“We didn’t think as much about the final outcome as focus on the process,” Ross said after the game. “Each of us was playing for the person next to us (on the field). We’ve come this far together as a team, and we wanted to be able to play one more game together.”

As for the key to victory, the fourth-year midfielder acknowledged, “We played (StFX) just last weekend. We know their game, and we know who their key players are.”

The Axewomen, she said, “were more focused on playing our own game. We knew if we could keep them back on their heels, we could end up with the result we wanted.”

Acadia now advances to the consolation final at 12 noon Saturday, Nov. 12, with a fifth-place finish in the country on the line. Their opponents will be the Saskatchewan Huskies. 

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval vs. UOIT (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online) 

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan vs. Acadia (Watch Online)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

14:30 Championship final (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

 

Laval edges UOIT in OT, punches ticket to CIS final

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – The Laval Rouge et Or will play for the 2016 women’s soccer championship after a 2-1 overtime win over the UOIT Ridgebacks Friday evening, Nov. 11 on Raymond Field in Wolfville, N.S. 

Joelle Gosselin’s (Quebec  City, Que.) goal off a goal-mouth scramble in the 11th minute of the first overtime period was the game-winner for second-seeded Laval, propelling the Rouge et Or into Sunday’s final against the winner of the second championship semifinal between fifth-seed Queen’s and top-seed UBC.

Laval struck first in regulation time when an errant UOIT pass inadvertently found its way into the Ridgebacks’ own goal. The 1-0 lead stood up for about nine minutes before UOIT forwards Taijah Henderson (Ajax, Ont.) and Shynice Williams (Mississauga, Ont.) teamed up for the equalizer, scored by Henderson. 

The remainder of regulation time consisted mainly of Laval trying to crash the UOIT zone and create scoring opportunities, and the Ridgebacks doing a good job of neutralizing the Rouge et Or offense. 

Finally, Laval’s persistence paid off early in the first of two 15-minute overtime periods. The Gosselin goal seemed to energize the Rouge et Or, who maintained an edge in play for the rest of the game. 

Henderson was named UOIT’s Player of the Game, while third-year Laval defender Melissa Roy (Quebec City, Que.) got the nod for her team. 

Asked afterward if the match was what Laval had expected, Roy said, “We’re in the national semifinals. You expect the other team to come out strong, and they did.” 

In the first half, she said, the Rouge et Or found it difficult to get the ball out of their own end with any success. “In the second half, we did a lot better. Our game plan was to keep control of the ball. That went a lot better in the second half and in the extra time.” 

After Gosselin’s go-ahead goal, “we knew we had to calm down.” The Rouge et Or were able to regain their defensive momentum and dominate the remainder of the extra session. 

Roy acknowledged the victory felt good. The 2014 national champions, Laval was “disappointed” a year ago by failing to qualify for the championship game. As for the final on Sunday, she said, “It doesn’t matter who we end up playing. Our game plan is the same every game we play.” 

The key to the final, she said, will be the same as it was against UOIT – to “put everything we have into it, and to really want it – play our best, and play to win.” 

UOIT, meanwhile, will play in Sunday’s bronze medal game against the loser of the Queen’s-UBC semifinal. Saskatchewan and host Acadia will meet in Saturday’s consolation final.  

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval (2) vs. UOIT (1)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online) 

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan vs. Acadia (Watch Online)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal: UOIT vs. Queen’s/UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

14:30 Championship final: Laval vs. Queen’s/UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

 

UBC to defend championship

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – The UBC Thunderbirds will have an opportunity to repeat as U Sports champions after an exhausting semifinal matchup against the Queen’s Golden Gaels.

After a delay of the field lights inadvertently turning off and two overtime halves of 15 minutes, the game resorted to penalty kicks to decide who would move on to the gold medal game scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Rachel Jones’ (North Vancouver, B.C.) made penalty kick was the game winner as the Thunderbirds captured a 3-2 shootout victory.

With 13 shots and seven landing on net, the Thunderbirds protected Adidas Player of the Game Marlee Maracle (Oakville, Ont.) by limiting the Gaels to five shots on net.

When questioned what her mindset was prior to the penalty kicks, since she had not been tested this season with any games decided by them, Maracle noted the need to erase and start fresh.

“Honestly I just cancelled out the overtime and regulation time I was playing and started fresh trying to go forward with a clear mindset,” she said. “With the PK stressful on both ends including the shooter, I just got on the goal line and began reading body language.”

The Thunderbirds had several opportunities to end the game before overtime play, including a shot off the top bar that was ruled to be not a goal. 

Today’s match was the fourth game in a row that played beyond regulation time, with the previous consolations games extended directly into penalty kicks and Laval’s overtime win against UOIT.

The defending U Sports champions will take on Laval on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m., while the Gaels will play for bronze against UOIT at Noon. In consolation play, the host Acadia Axewomen are matched up against the Saskatchewan Huskies tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval (2) vs. UOIT (1)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s (0) vs. UBC (1)

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan vs. Acadia (Watch Online)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal: UOIT vs. Queen’s (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

14:30 Championship final: Laval vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

Host Axewomen proud with fifth-place finish

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – Senior defender Madison Kelly (Dartmouth, N.S.) scored the penalty kick winner as the No. 8-seeded and host Acadia Axewomen captured the title of U Sports women’s soccer consolation champions in a 1-0 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies in penalty kicks.

In the consolation round, all tied games resort to penalty kicks immediately, instead of two overtime halves of 15 minutes each.

The opening half saw considerable offensive pressure by the Huskies, outshooting Acadia 6-1. A turn-around was imminent as the hometown Axewomen played the sidelines to elevate their offensive opportunities.

Team captain and senior midfielder Michelle Pryde (Calgary, Alta.) noted the changes made in the second half to become more effective.

“We just said, ‘Let’s play the ball on the ground and stop the long balls, since we don’t have the legs for that right now and switch the field,’ because we were attacking their left side over and over again. ‘Play the feet, movement off the ball and switch the field of play,” noted Pryde.

The strategy worked as the Axewomen added five shots-on-goal opportunities to turn the tables on a first half that was dominated by the Huskies.

With less than a minute remaining, a shot by Erica Hindmarsh (Saskatoon, Sask.) deflected off the cross bar, allowing the game to head into penalty kicks.

The Huskies will head home with heads held high with a 1-2 record in their first visit to the CIS national championship tournament.

For some, a consolation championship may fall short of the ultimate goal, but Pryde was proud of her team and her own accomplishments while at Acadia.

“To come to Acadia and be in my first year dead last in the AUS and then finished fifth in the country means so much and I can’t put it into words. It’s such a special thing to be a part of and to know I was one piece of the puzzle as well as every other girl that was here and even before us who began to build the program since Amit (Batra) started coaching is really special,” concluded Pryde.

With the consolation round completed, all eyes will be on tomorrow’s bronze medal game between the UOIT Ridgebacks and Queen’s Gaels scheduled at Noon (AT), followed by the championship game as the No. 1 seeded UBC Thunderbirds defend their U Sports title against the No. 2 Laval Rouge et Or at 2:30 p.m. (AT).

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval (2) vs. UOIT (1)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s (0) vs. UBC (1)

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan (0) vs. Acadia (1)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal: UOIT vs. Queen’s (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

14:30 Championship final: Laval vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

Ridgebacks edge Queen’s to earn CIS bronze

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – The UOIT Ridgebacks and the Queen’s Gaels met in the OUA conference final, with UOIT scoring a 1-0 regulation time win. 

The conference rivals, who are more than familiar with each other by now, met again in the bronze medal match at the CIS women’s soccer championships Nov. 13 in Wolfville, N.S. The Ridgebacks claimed the national bronze medal with a 1-0 victory in another closely-contested game. 

Third-year midfielder Katherine Kohler-Grassau’s (Ottawa, Ont.) goal on a medium-range shot in the 59th minute ended up being the game’s only goal.  

UOIT turned in a close-checking second half to make that narrowest of possible advantages stand up the rest of the way. 

Helen Frampton recorded the shutout despite only facing two shots, neither of which was credited as a direct shot on goal. Queen’s keeper Madison Tyrell (White Rock, B.C.) recorded a pair of saves from seven UOIT shots. 

The Gaels had a couple of decent chances in the closing minutes, but UOIT managed to close out the shutout victory. 

Speaking after the game, Koehler-Grassau confirmed this was only UOIT’s second-ever appearance at the tournament, and the bronze was the school’s first-ever medal. The Ridgebacks last attended a CIS Championship in 2014, losing to Trinity Western and Montreal.  

“It feels really good,” she said, adding, “we weren’t going to lose today.” 

Kohler-Grassau said UOIT and Queen’s had gone head-to-head four times this season, including their conference final.  

She acknowledged, “It made us a bit nervous, where we’d already beaten them three times, but our goal going in was to work our hardest and see what happened. This year was already the best we’d ever done, so we really had nothing to lose. But even though it was tied, everyone kept working hard.” 

UOIT, she said, “Had a good feeling. We knew it was within our reach, and it felt really good to win.” 

As for the key to victory, Kohler-Grassau said, “We went in hard for every ball, and kept the ball in play. We stuck together, and didn’t let ourselves get down on each other. We do fitness year-round, so being in shape wasn’t an issue,” – despite playing their third game in four days.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval (2) vs. UOIT (1)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s (0) vs. UBC (1)

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan (0) vs. Acadia (1)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal: UOIT (1) vs. Queen’s (0) 

14:30 Championship final: Laval vs. UBC (Fibe TV1 Channel 1/401 or  Watch Online)

 

Rouge et Or crowned U Sports women’s soccer champs after 2-1 win over UBC

 

WOLFVILLE, N.S. (U Sports) – For the second time in three years, the Laval Rouge et Or are the U Sports women’s soccer champions.

Laval, the tournament’s second seed, captured the U Sports banner and the Gladys Bean Memorial Trophy with a 2-1 win over the top-seeded UBC Thunderbirds Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13 in Wolfville, N.S.

In an exciting and well-played final, the Rouge et Or opened the scoring at the 17:42 mark of the first half, when third-year forward Joelle Gosselin (Quebec City, Que.) scored her fourth goal of the tournament.

The score remained 1-0 until the 54th minute, when UBC’s Aman Shergill (Surrey, B.C.) was awarded a ‘dot shot’ penalty kick following a collision with Laval keeper Marie-Joelle Vandal (Lavaltrie, Que.) outside her crease area. Shergill made no mistake, burying the penalty shot to tie the score.

With only minutes remaining in regulation time and extra time looming, Laval’s Lea Chastenay-Joseph (Quebec, Que.) netted the game-winner at the 87:18 mark on a medium-range shot that cleanly eluded UBC keeper Marlee Maracle (Oakville, Ont.).

Gosselin, one of a number of Laval players who were also on the 2014 Rouge et Or team that captured the CIS Championship on their home field, was named the tournament MVP.

“It feels great,” Gosselin said after the game. “The final accomplishment of what we’ve worked for all season. From the first game of the season, our goal was to win nationals.”

Gosselin acknowledged the Rouge et Or had come to Wolfville “with only one goal: to win it all.” They advanced to the final with a 5-0 quarterfinal win over Saskatchewan and a 2-1 overtime victory over UOIT in the semifinals.

In the final, Laval was “a little nervous” after UBC scored the tying goal.

“But we never lost confidence. We’ve worked so hard all year for this,” Gosselin said. “And now we can say we’re the national champs.”

As for the key to victory, she said, “keeping possession of the ball, and forcing them to adjust instead of us.”

After the game, the three medal-winning teams – UOIT, UBC and Laval – were all presented with their respective medals, and the Rouge et Or received the championship trophy and banner.

Also as part of the post-game ceremony, the tournament all-star selections were announced, along with the tournament MVP.

Chosen as all-stars were Jenny Wolever from Queen’s; Kylie Bordeleau and Katherine Kohler-Grassau from UOIT; Jasmine Mander, Aman Shergill and Marlee Maracle from UBC: and Melissa Roy, Lea Chastenay-Joseph, Gabrielle Lapointe, Arielle Roy-Petitclerc and Gosselin from Laval.

Gosselin was also awarded the tournament MVP award. 

SCORING SUMMARY

— 1st —

LAV 17:42 Joelle Gosselin (4) (Melissa Roy)

— 2nd —

UBC 54:20  Aman Shergill (1) (unassisted)   

LAV 87:18 Lea C.-Joseph (1) (unassisted)   

 

U Sports Tournament All-Stars 

Jenny Wolever – Queen’s

Kylie Bordeleau – UOIT

Katherine Kohler-Grassau UOIT ;

Jasmine Mander – UBC

Aman Shergill – UBC

Marlee Maracle – UBC

Melissa Roy – Laval

Lea Chastenay-Joseph – Laval

Gabrielle Lapointe – Laval

Arielle Roy-Petitclerc – Laval

Joelle Gosselin – Laval

R.W. Pugh Award (Sportsmanship)

Saskatchewan Huskies

MVP

Joelle Gosselin – Laval

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times Atlantic)

Thursday, Nov. 10

12:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval (5) vs Saskatchewan (0)

14:30 Quarter-final 2: UOIT (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

17:00 Quarter-final 3: StFX (0) vs. Queen’s (1)

19:30 Quarter-final 4: UBC (1) vs. Acadia (0) 

Friday, Nov. 11

12:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan (1) vs. Trinity Western (0)

14:30 Consolation 2: StFX (1) vs. Acadia (2)

17:00 Semifinal 1: Laval (2) vs. UOIT (1)

19:30 Semifinal 2: Queen’s (0) vs. UBC (1)

Saturday, Nov. 12

12:00 5th-place game Saskatchewan (0) vs. Acadia (1)

Sunday, Nov. 13

12:00 Bronze medal: UOIT (1) vs. Queen’s (0) 

14:30 Championship final: Laval (2) vs. UBC (1)

About U Sports
 
U Sports is the national brand for University Sports in Canada. Every year, over 12,000 student-athletes and 500 coaches from 56 universities vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U Sports also provides higher performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit usports.ca or follow us on:
 
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ksainteloy@usports.ca
 
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Sports Information
Acadia University
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Cell: 902-698-2090
eric.cederberg@acadiau.ca