X-Women soccer advance to AUS semi-final

AUS Quarterfinal #1: StFX 1, UdeM 0
Courtesy Memorial Sports Information

The 2009 Subway AUS Women's Soccer Championships have opened with the StFX X-Women outlasting the U de M Aigles Bleues in a 1 - nil squeaker.

With very wet and windy conditions both teams started out with caution in mind, and early action did not stray too far from the center line. Although a little more wasteful in possession than Coach Reddick would have liked, it was always the X-Women who looked the more likely to break the deadlock. The breakthrough came sooner than the play would have suggested as at the 24th minute when X striker Amy MacKinnon found herself on the end of a crossed ball and made no mistake from close range.

Following the goal, X became more fluid and comfortable in attack, and certainly looked the stronger of the two sides. Apart from a few wayward goal attempts, les Aigles Bleues had difficulty mounting a comeback. In fact, X goalkeeper Anna Thompson was called just once into any real action, as she did just enough to paw away a high floated free kick that got tangled up in the wind. That would be the pinnacle of any UdeM attacking ambition on this day, and in the end the X-Women would take the quarterfinal win.

Subway Players of the Game were Josee Leblanc for UdeM and Sarah Mitchell for StFX. The X-Women will move on to face the top seeded Dalhousie Tigers in Saturday's semifinal at 1 pm.

AUS Quarterfinal #2: CBU 2, Memorial 0

At the new artificial turf facility at the Team Gushue Sports complex, the Sea-Hawks and Capers squared off in quarterfinal # 2 of the Subway AUS Women’s Soccer Championships Friday night.

The hosts looked full of life and ambition from the kick-off and wasted little time putting the Capers under pressure. The side in red created several quality first half scoring chances including some scorching long range efforts, and a number of fine crosses.  The Capers themselves, however, have never been shy when it comes to attacking.

Coach Mavin would have been pleased to see rookie Sea-Hawk keeper Keira Eavis push a dangerous driven ball onto the bar and out. Despite the fast paced first half action, no player was sublime enough to open the scoring before the break. Although the Sea-Hawks would certainly not lack ambition in the half time dressing room, there is a certain presence that comes with four consecutive conference titles, and it was always going to take something special to knock off these Capers. 

In a bizarre turn of events, blackness swept the pitch at the 50 minute mark, with an electrical problem delaying the match about 30 minutes. When the match resumed, the Sea-Hawks didn’t yet seem to be fully awake, and as quick at the lights went out, the ‘Hawks were down two. A couple of uncharacteristic defensive blunders resulted in Caper goals from Nicole Morrison in the 56th and Tara Rogers in the 59th, completely changing the flow of the match. The ‘Hawks would not roll over however, and continued to march forward. The attacking flair of seniors Laura Breen, Malorie Harris, and Leslie Pope would create some anxious moments for Cape Breton, but they would fail to find the final piece of the puzzle.

The Capers move on to face the UPEI Panthers in Saturday’s semi final after the 2-0 triumph, while it’s the end of an era for the Lady-Hawks with Breen, Harris, and Pope all playing their final game in red & white.

Players of the game were Nicholle Morrison for CBU and seniors Laura Breen and Malorie Harris who finish their varsity careers in the loss. Also finishing outstanding careers with Memorial were Nichole Adams and Leslie Pope.