Day one of the 2013 CIS women’s soccer championship featured all four quarter-finals, with the semi-finals set for Friday.
Game 1: Montreal Carabins vs. Western Mustangs
The Montreal Carabins defeated the Western Mustangs 2–1 on Thursday, in the quarter-final of the 2013 women’s soccer championships. After a 11–1–2 regular season and two playoff wins, the Carabins continued their successful run with a win, giving them Friday off to rest for their semi-final game on Saturday.
After a scoreless first half, the Carabins took a 2–0 lead with two goals within nine minutes of each other. Laurianne Garrant-Saine scored on a penalty kick after her teammate Constance de Chantal Dumont was taken down in front of the net.
Montreal’s season-long success has evidently given the team a lot of confidence. Faced with a late goal by Western third-year defender Samantha Taylor to cut the deficit 2–1, the Carabins were unfazed. “No; never any panic on the sideline,” said Montreal Carabins coach Kevin McConnell when asked if there was any panic on the sideline. “If anything, we were just frustrated with our play in the first half.”
The Western Mustangs appeared to get frustrated late in the game. Several Western players were arguing with referees; head coach Martin Painter was earlier suspended for a game for also arguing with referees.
The Montreal Carabins will play their semi-final game on Saturday at 1:30 pm against the Alberta Pandas.
— JP Kaczur
Game 2: Alberta Pandas vs. Laval Rouge et Or
The Canada West champion Alberta Pandas defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 1–0 in their quarter-final matchup of the 2013 CIS women’s soccer championships.
After a scoreless first half, the Panda’s Paula Dadensky scored the first and only goal of the game. The second-year player scored from of a corner kick by Rebecca Brandt, which proved to be the game winner.
The Pandas were perilously close to giving up their one goal lead in the 77 minute when Laval’s Melissande Guy was inches away from tying the game on a breakaway. The Pandas settled down from there on in, tightening up their defense to ensure the 1–0 win.
Due to a mix of low-scoring and intermittent rain, Panda’s coach Liz Jepsen noted that the gameplay “wasn’t pretty.” Nevertheless, the Panda’s found a way to win. Jepsen added: “In this first game its about heart, desire, and fire to win.”
The Pandas will need to use the heart, desire, and fire against their next opponent the Montreal Carabins. The semi-final will feature two teams who were champions of their respective leagues on Saturday at 1:30 pm.
— JP Kaczur
Game 3: Laurier Goldenhawks vs. Trinity Western Spartans
November 7 at 4:30 pm, the defending CIS champion Trinity Western Spartans defeated the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champion Laurier Golden Hawks 3–0 in a late-game win. Dominating the game was the Spartans’ Krista Gommeringer, who scored two goals and was credited with the assist on Natalie Boyd’s goal.
For the first 45 minutes of the match, the game remained scoreless. However, in the 45 minute, Spartans’ Boyd scored the first goal, giving Trinity Western an advantage leading into the second half.
The Spartans finished the first half with six shots, with the Golden Hawks having four. In the second half, the Spartans used the momentum from their lead to capitalize further, finishing with seven shots as opposed to Laurier’s two.
Gommeringer scored the second goal for Trinity Western in the 68 minute, giving the team a strong advantage going into the last 20s minutes of play, and then secured the lead by scoring in the 85 minute scoring.
Trinity Western will play the still–undefeated Cape Breton Capers on Saturday at 4:30 pm, and Laurier will compete for its chance at winning fifth place in the tournament in the consolation game on Friday. —EB
