Brian Swane, Special to Canada West
EDMONTON – The odds to win one of the most hard-earned championships have changed.
It's right there in the marquee.
The 2017 Canada West Women's Soccer Final Four takes place at Chase Office Field in Langley this weekend, when the host Trinity Western Spartans battle the UBC Thunderbirds (5:30 p.m. PDT) and the Victoria Vikes take on the MacEwan Griffins (2:30 p.m. PDT) in semifinal action Friday, followed by bronze (2:30 pm PDT) and gold medal (5 p.m. PDT) matches on Saturday.
All foour games can be seen live on Canada West TV.
Both finalists qualify for the 2017 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship in Winnipeg, hosted by the University of Manitoba, Nov. 9 -12.
For the last two seasons the Canada West champ was decided at the Select Six, where half a dozen teams would gather for a four-day grind, playing as many as three matches.
Now it's back to an all-out, two-day blitz featuring a quartet of sides that represent the best of the best.
"Playing two games instead of three will be great for every team in the conference, especially the two that head off to nationals. Hopefully they have fresher legs for their first game in Manitoba," says UBC coach Jesse Symons.
Symons' squad is looking to capture a third consecutive Canada West championship crown and get back to nationals, where UBC won gold in 2015 and silver last year. Many players from those teams are still with the T-Birds, who have a compliment of seven fourth- or fifth-year student-athletes.
"A big thing is our experience, winning the national championship in 2015 and then with the core group that we still had last year winning Canada West and getting to the national final," Symon says.
"Overall, we've got a very good core group of players that have done this over the last couple years, and they're very motivated to get back to nationals again," the coach continues. "I think this league is a lot about experience and having older, mature players that can step up on big stages, and I have full trust that we have players that can do that and are ready to do it"
As part of Canada West's new playoff format, the opening week of the post-season featured both play-in and quarter-final matches at four sites. The T-Birds traveled to Saskatoon, where they knocked off Manitoba 3-1 on Friday, before up-ending the host Saskatchewan Huskies 3-0 two days later.
"Last weekend against Manitoba and Saskatchewan showed that the players are very motivated," Symons says. "We talk a lot about late October and early November as a time when we have to be pushing and performing and they definitely showed that last weekend."
The quartet of sides left standing have more than earned spots at Final Four. Combined, they have a 75% win percentage (42-11-9) spanning the Canada West regular and post-seasons.
"All the teams have different qualities," Symons says. "Canada West this year was very competitive, there could be many different teams in this Final Four."
"I think overall there was a good amount of teams fighting to get through … so Canada West is showing a lot of parity and it's an exciting thing for the league. Day-in, day-out, anyone can beat anyone and I'm sure this weekend will be no different, and the coaches are well aware of it.
"Any of the four could be the champion."
Click here for the CW WSOC Final Four program
Semifinal 1: GMU vs. VIC
Friday, Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. PDT
Chase Office Field
After beating Mount Royal in a play-in match then authoring a quarter-final upset of the top-seeded Alberta Pandas 2-1 in Edmonton last week, MacEwan is on the verge of reaching the U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship for the first time in school history. The two-time Canada West champion Vikes, who gutted out a 1-0 result at home against Calgary in the quarter-final round, are looking to make their first trip to nationals since 2012. Victoria (9-1-4) is unbeaten over the last eight weeks, and had the fewest losses in Canada West during the season, while tying Pacific Division-leader Trinity Western with 31 points.
At 8-5-1, The Griffins finished fourth in the division standings. Goalkeeper Puck Louwes played every minute between the pipes for the Vikes and allowed only six goals, backstopping the Pacific's stingiest defense, though MacEwan 'keeper Emily Burns is no slouch, either, with a sparkling 0.66 goals against average over 14 regular season appearances. In the teams' lone 2017 meeting, Sept. 30 at Centennial Stadium, Victoria beat MacEwan 1-0. That was a fourth straight loss and marked a turning point for the Griffins, who have since gone 6-1-1 including the post-season.
Semifinal 2: UBC vs. TWU
Friday, Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. PDT
Chase Office Field
This is a rematch of the T-Birds' 3-0 triumph in 2016 Canada West gold medal game, which also took place on the Spartans' home pitch in Langley. TWU, which reached Final Four by beating Fraser Valley 1-0 in a quarter-final at Chase Office Field last Saturday, topped the Pacific Division standings with a 10-3-1 record for 31 points – just one point ahead of the third-place T-Birds (9-2-3). No other Canada West sides scored nearly as much as these offensive juggernauts; both average more than 2.5 goals per game, UBC leading the conference with 37 goals, the Spartans ranking second with 36.
UBC senior Jasmine Dhanda, the 2015 U SPORTS Championship MVP, scored a conference-best 14 goals in 14 matches, and added six helpers to lead all players with 20 points. TWU boasts remarkable scoring depth, with seven players this season tallying at least four times. UBC swept the season series with TWU, handing the Spartans their only home loss, 3-0 on Sept. 8, then defeating them 2-0 in Vancouver on Oct. 21 to wrap their schedule. Since 2002, these two perennial powerhouses have combined to win Canada West gold 11 times, and the national championship nine times.
MEDAL ROUND
Bronze medal game - 2:30 p.m. PDT at Chase Office Field
Gold medal game - 5 p.m. PDT at Chase Office Field
UBC THUNDERBIRDS
2017 CW regular season record: 9-2-3, 3rd Pacific Division
2017 record vs. Final Four teams: 0-1-1 vs. VIC, 2-0-0 vs. TWU, 1-0-0 vs. GMU
Last CW championship / total CW championships: 2016 / 15
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: 2015 / 7
2017 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 37 goals, 1st
Defence: 10 goals against, 5th
2017 CW regular season leaders:
Goals: 14 – Jasmin Dhanda, forward
Assists: 9 – Aman Shergill, forward
Points: 20 – Jasmin Dhanda, forward
Wins: 6 – Marlee Maracle, goalkeeper
Shutouts: 6 – Marlee Maracle, goalkeeper
Key performer:
Jasmin Dhanda
Forward
5th-year
Surrey, B.C.
The fifth-year striker finished her final Canada West regular season in style leading the conference in goals with 14, points with 20, game winning goals with six, and shots on goal with 37. Dhanda set a new conference record for career points finishing with 70 over her five years with the 'Birds surpassing former T-Bird Janine Frazao's mark of 63.
MACEWAN UNIVERSITY GRIFFINS
2017 CW regular season record: 8-5-1, 4th Pacific Division
2017 record vs. Final Four teams: 0-1 vs. VIC, 0-1 vs. UBC, 0-1 vs. TWU
Last CW championship / total CW championships: Highest finish - 4th in 2016
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: /
2017 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 18 goals, 7th
Defence: 10 goals against, T5th
2017 CW regular season leaders:
Goals: 3 – Brittany Costa, midfielder / Kaylin Hermanutz, midfielder / Meagan Lemoine, midfielder / Raeghan McCarthy, forward
Assists: 4 – Meagan Lemoine, forward
Points: 7 – Meagan Lemoine, forward
Wins: 8 – Emily Burns, keeper
Shutouts: 7 – Emily Burns, keeper
Key performer:
Emily Burns
Goalkeeper
3rd-year
Sherwood Park, Alta.
A Canada West second-team all-star in 2016, Burns had another fantastic season for the Griffins as she played all but 20:23 of the team's minutes during the regular season. She had eight wins and seven shutouts in 14 games, posting some of the top numbers across the board in the conference (0.65 GAA, 59 saves and an .868 save percentage). She led the Griffins to two playoff wins, including making a key save off a penalty kick that helped MacEwan eliminate Mount Royal University.
TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY SPARTANS
2017 CW regular season record: 10-3-1, 1st in Pacific Division
2017 record vs. Final Four teams: 0-2-0 vs. UBC, 1-0-0 vs. GMU, 1-0-1 vs. VIC
Last CW championship / total CW championships: 2014 / 6
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: 2013 / 5
2017 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 36 goals, 2nd
Defence: 9 goals against, 4th
2017 CW regular season leaders:
Goals: 7 – Rachel Hutchinson, Forward
Assists: 8 – Seina Kashima, Forward
Points: 12 – Rachel Hutchinson and Seina Kashima, Forwards
Wins: 8 – Christina Oliverio, Goalkeeper
Shutouts: 2 – Christina Oliverio, Goalkeeper
Key performer:
Jenaya Robertson
Midfielder
4th-year
Delta, B.C.
As the team's captain, Jenaya Robertson led TWU to a Pacific Division title, helping a young lineup – one that features just two fifth-year players – keep the Spartans tradition of success very much alive and well. The fourth-year midfielder was a steadying force throughout the season and played a key role in helping at both ends of the pitch. Individually, she tallied four goals to go with two assists, but her work from box to box was critical to the Spartans success. With Robertson patrolling the middle of the park, the Spartans set the Canada West shutout streak record at 10 matches and 924 minutes.
UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA VIKES
2017 CW regular season record: 9-1-4, 2nd Pacific
2017 record vs. Final Four teams: 1-0-1 vs. UBC, 0-1-1 vs. TWU, 1-0 vs. GMU
Last CW championship / total CW championships: 2008 / 3
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: 2005 / 1
2017 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 26 goals, 5th
Defence: 6 goals against, 15th
2017 CW regular season leaders:
Goals: 9 – Kiara Kilbey, Forward
Assists: 4 – Emily Lieuwen, Midfield
Points: 10 – Kiara Kilbey, Forward
Wins: 9 – Puck Louwes, GK
Shutouts: 10 – Puck Louwes, GK
Key performer:
Emily Lieuwen
Midfield
4th-year
Ladner, B.C.
Central midfielder Emily Lieuwen has been at the centre of the Victoria Vikes' women's soccer success for 2017. The fourth year is competing in her last season and has started and played all but seven minutes of the regular season to finish with two goals and four assists. Co-captain Lieuwen's two-way work ethic is felt on both sides of the ball and will be key as the Vikes head into the Canada West Final 4.