2018 WSC: Day One Recap from Coquitlam
MATCH 1: NAIT Ooks 2, MSVU Mystics 0
The Nait Ooks defeated the MSVU Mystics 2-0 in the opening match of the 2018 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship. The Ooks dominated possession of the ball in the first half, rarely allowing opposition players to foray into the Ooks side of the pitch.
Mystics goalkeeper Caroline Larocque was outstanding, making 10 stops in the match, but after an onslaught of chances, the Ooks broke through as a cross into the box bounced over the head of a Mystics defender and fell perfectly for an unmarked Kennedy Hennig, who made no mistake from in close.
Just before the halftime whistle, the Ooks doubled their lead as a corner kick was headed through by Hennig for her second goal of the match.
The second half saw a much more aggressive Mystics performance, but the Ooks defenders held firm. Five shots did manage to find their way towards Toni Burse, but the Ooks keeper dealt with all five.
Earning Player of the Game honours were Kennedy Hennig for the NAIT Ooks, and Breagh Laing of the MSVU Mystics.
MATCH 2: Ch. Saint-Lambert Cavaliers 3, VIU Mariners 1
The RSEQ runners-up defeated the PACWEST gold medalists in the quarterfinal round thanks to some excellent build-up play.
Throughout the match, the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers did an excellent job of using a combination of skill on the ball and perfectly weighted passes to make their way up field, creating chances and earning corners. One such corner was headed in by Kaliane Arpin-Gaba just 5 minutes into the match, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. A beautiful strike from Noemi Paquin doubled the Cavaliers lead before the break. Champlain Saint-Lambert continued to press in the second half, eventually earning a third as Paquin’s great run down the left side led to a Thalia Krauth-Ibarz insurance marker.
The Mariners pulled a goal back with a quarter of an hour to play as Shae Battie got past the lone defender and slotted one home. The next 15 minutes saw the Mariners go all-out to tie the game, but despite an incredible effort and some huge chances, the Cavaliers were able to see out their 3-1 lead to the final whistle.
Player of the Game honours went to Cara Dunlop of VIU and Champlain Saint-Lambert’s Noémi Paquin.
MATCH 3: Fanshawe Falcons 6, SAIT Trojans 0
The Fanshawe Falcons were impressive in their quarterfinal matchup with the SAIT Trojans, scoring six times while keeping a clean sheet.
Five of the six goals came from 2018 CCAA Player of the Year Jade Kovacevic, who was unstoppable in the eighteen-yard box for Fanshawe. Kovacevic was the CCAA’s top scorer in 2018 with 30 regular season goals, and showed off her scoring prowess in this match.
Fanshawe’s sixth goal was scored by Stephanie Middlemiss, who nabbed her first of the season off of a set-piece as the match neared its conclusion.
The Falcons could’ve had even more, but Trojans goalkeeper Amy Offredi had an excellent afternoon, with all of the Falcons goals a result of the quality play of the opposition rather than any mistakes on Offredi’s part. The defence was solid too, but Kovacevic’s elite offensive skill was just too much to handle for the ACAC silver medallists.
The Trojans played quite well on offense, generating several quality chances, but just couldn’t keep up with the offensive firepower of the Falcons.
The Players of the Game were Jade Kovacevic for the Falcons, and Maddie Lee of the Trojans.
MATCH 4: Élans de Garneau 4, Douglas Royals 0
Les Élans de Garneau, the number one ranked team in CCAA, defeated the hosting Douglas College Royals 4-0 in the last match of the quarterfinal round.
Fueled by an energetic and raucous hometown crowd, the Royals came flying out of the gate, resulting in a flurry of back-and-forth play that saw their opponents hit the crossbar within the first five minutes. The game settled down, but remained an even match with chances at both ends. But with less than five minutes to play in the opening half, les Élans were awarded a free-kick. Frédérique Métivier delivered and Audrey Genois opened the scoring.
The second half saw Garneau take control of the game. In the 46th minute, Genois scored her second of the game on a beautiful low driven strike from outside the eighteen-yard box. Five minutes later, she had her hat trick, and les Élans scored a fourth as Métivier finished off a beautiful series of passes with another driven shot along the turf.
Douglas pushed, but the Garneau defense proved impenetrable as the match ended 4-0.
Taking home Player of the Game honours were Garneau’s Audrey Genois and Preet Thandi of Douglas.
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