Queen's steal 1-0 overtime win from X-Women

QUARTER-FINAL #1: 2009 CIS women’s soccer championship
 
The OUA finalist Queen’s Gaels upset the AUS champion StFX X-Women, 1-0, in overtime in the first quarterfinal game Thursday at the CIS Women’s Soccer Championship in Toronto.

Gaels Midfielder Cristina Senese was the overtime hero, heading a ball into the corner of the X net past diving X-Women keeper Anna Thompson off a midfield cross pass by Mikyla Kay in the 103rd minute of the game.

“Our girls played their hearts out today,” commented X-Women head coach Trevor Reddick. “We had our chances and so did they [Queen’s] and unfortunately they were the lucky ones to come away with the win.”

“If we had of finished some of our shots from close range it would have been a very different game out there, but you have to look at the positives and move forward. We still have some games to win here this weekend.”

The X-Women had to work through a bit of nerves for the first 5-10 minutes of the game but then settled into the play, though both teams played with some tentativeness early on in the first half.

The Gaels had five total shots throughout the half, however, none would force X-Women keeper Anna Thompson to make a save. Her counterpart Elena Corry would only be tested once in the opening half, as X-Women striker Amy MacKinnon managed a shot on net in the 14th minute of play. 

A lot of first half play took place in the middle of the field with the two teams jockeying for field position and ball possession but neither mounting any big offensive opportunities. Each team had three corner kicks in the first half, with Thompson handling the ball easily on a couple of these corners for StFX.

The teams entered the halftime break scoreless as neither X or Queen’s showed much vulnerability in the backfield.     
 
In the opening minute of play in the second half the Gaels won a corner kick and Thompson was solid in the X net, coming out to catch the ball to prevent a dangerous cross.  Minutes later a StFX corner kick by Nicole Melong resulted in some tense moments as Gael’s goalkeeper Elena Corry juggled the ball with X-Women striker Shannon Boisvert digging for it before she finally made the save.
 
The X-Women’s first key scoring chance in the game came in the 61st minute when midfielder Ana Balbino created some space just outside the penalty area and sent a hard, line shot that sailed only a few feet above the Gael’s crossbar. 

StFX kept up the pressure in the second half as Sarah Mitchell crossed a ball towards the Gael’s net, resulting in an easy Corry save. In the 71st minute, Corry juggled another ball as X-Women defender Meaghan Ramsden sent a free kick right onto the net.
 
Gael’s midfielder Angela Sullivan nearly put the Gaels on top in the 74th minute as she headed a corner kick by Kelli Chamberlain that rang off the crossbar and was eventually cleared by the X-Women defence. A Gael’s free kick just outside the penalty box area in the 54th minute sailed high of the StFX net.  
 
The X-Women created a scoring chance with just over five minutes remaining in the second half as Julie Griffiths sent a pass through to Amy Kinnon who couldn’t quite get to the ball before an aggressive Corry came off her goal line to jump on the ball.
 
With less than two minutes to go, Queen’s striker Jackie Tessier was left alone with the ball in close on net but Thompson came out to slide and tip the ball away from her, a potential game saving play.
 
Despite the late pressure by Queen’s, the game remained scoreless at the end of regulation play.
 
The Gael’s had the first scoring chance of the first overtime frame as Tessier lobbed a high shot from well outside the penalty area that bounced off the top of the X crossbar and out of play. 

StFX fans in attendance at Varsity Stadium were upset with a questionable play in the 10th minute that was not called by the game officials as StFX striker Olivia Zanette was pushed off the ball by a Gael’s player as she approached the top corner of the penalty box. No whistle was blown and the two teams continued with their intense play, building up to the Kay game-winning goal just minutes later.

Play in the second overtime period did not result in significant scoring chances by either team. The Gaels had a couple shots on net that were easily handled by Thompson but the X-Women were unable to launch an offensive attack. Their best opportunity came in the 132nd minute when Shannon Boisvert shot a long ball wide of the net.

Queen’s were able to hold onto the 1-0 overtime win and advance to the semi-finals. Defender Mikyla Kay was named Player of the Game for the Gaels while veteran fifth year striker Eugenia Renderos earned Player of the Game honors for the X-Women.

With the quarterfinal loss, the X-Women are relegated to consolation play. They will face a familiar opponent in the UPEI Panthers, who lost 1-0 to the Trinity Western Spartans in the second quarterfinal game. The consolation semi-final is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 pm (AST).

The X-Women defeated the Panthers just last weekend in the AUS championship game in penalty kicks.  

Courtesy StFX Sports Information (with game info from UofT Sports Information)

SCORING SUMMARY
QUE: 0-0-1-0:1
SFX: 0-0-0-0:0
 
First Half
no scoring
 
Second Half
no scoring
 
Overtime (2x15 minutes)
1. QUE, Christina Senese (1), 103rd
 
Goalkeepers:
QUE: Elena Corry (W, 0 GA, 1 saves, 120:00 mins)
SFX: Anna Thompson (L, 1 GA, 4 saves, 120:00 mins)
 
Shots: QUE 15, SFX 4
Shots on Net: QUE 4, SFX 1
Corners: QUE 10, SFX 6
Offsides: QUE 0, SFX 0
Fouls: QUE 9, SFX 4
Yellow Cards: QUE (none), SFX (Allie Anderson)
Red Cards: none
 
Players of the game:
QUE: Mikyla Kay
SFX: Eugenia Renderos
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, Nov. 12
11:00 Quarter-final 1: Queen’s 1 vs. StFX 0 (overtime)
13:30 Quarter-final 2: Trinity Western 1 vs. UPEI 0 (SSN Canada webcast)
15:30 Quarter-final 3: York vs. UBC (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Quarter-final 4: Montreal vs. Toronto (SSN Canada webcast)

Friday, Nov. 13
13:30 Consolation 1: StFX vs. UPEI (SSN Canada webcast)
15:30 Consolation 2: Loser QF 3 vs. Loser QF 4 (SSN Canada webcast)

Saturday, Nov. 14
13:30 Semifinal 1: Queen’s vs. Trinity Western (SSN Canada webcast)
15:30 Semifinal 2: Winner QF 3 vs. Winner QF 4 (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Consolation final (5th-place match) (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, Nov. 15
14:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
17:00 Championship final (SSN Canada webcast)