Box Score VICTORIA– A goal in the fourth minute by Trinity Western Rachel Hutchinson and five saves by fifth year keeper Ally Williamson gave No. 6 TWU a 1-0 victory over the No. 9 University of Victoria Vikes in Canada West soccer action Friday night at Centennial Stadium in Victoria, B.C.
"It was a closely contested game with both teams having chances. We were a little bit fortunate with the win," commented TWU head coach Graham Roxburgh. "We had a chance to go up 2-0, but our finish was not sharp, but we had a good start and Ally made two great saves to earn us the win."
"Our back line got better as the game went on. In the end we dodged a bit of a bullet, which sets up a great game tomorrow for top spot."
The victory moves the Spartans to 10-1-2 on the season and extends their unbeaten streak to 12 matches. While the loss drops the Vikes to 7-3-3 with one final opportunity to secure hosting rights tomorrow against Fraser Valley.
Both teams entered Friday's match with a fighting chance for the rights to host in the Canada West Quarter-Finals. Second and fourth place in the West Division were separated by five points. A Spartans win coupled with a UBC Thunderbirds victory over Fraser Valley means they will finish first and second in the West Division, while the Vikes, Fraser Valley and Alberta Pandas will fight for the third, fourth and fifth spots.
In the fourth minute, the Vikes fell victim to a strong early push from the Spartans and a stroke of bad luck. Spartans forward Rachel Hutchinson put a cross into the Vikes' box and Storie couldn't get in front of the ball. The ball bounced up and Lee failed to clear the ball away safely, ultimately redirecting the cross into her own net.
The Vikes trailed going into half-time 1-0. The Spartans held the majority of the pressure and the Vikes didn't help their own cause by conceding a lot of their own possession.
From the restart, the Vikes started on the offensive. The Vikes came dangerously close to tying the game in the 50th minute when Badilla-Gutierrez was stopped short by a great save from Williamson. The keeper did well to charge the ball and stretch out to make a nice kick save, denying the Vikes the equalizer.
The Vikes pushed everything forward in the final ten minutes of the game, earning corner after corner. The Vikes came close again off a free-kick that redirected to defender Lindsay Machin, who skied her effort over the bar.
Spartan goalkeeper Williamson saved the three points for the Spartans in the final seconds of the game. A collision between Williamson and a Vike left the net open for Vikes midfielder Stephanie Badilla-Gutierrez, but Williamson tracked back and made a game-saving stop to keep the Spartans ahead.
That stop would save the result for the Spartans 1-0 over the Vikes to secure quarter-final hosting rights.
The shutout victory is Williamson's eighth in season and her fourth straight. Hutchinson's goal was her fifth of the season and second game-winning goal. Victoria keeper Meaghan Storie made seven saves in the loss.
The Spartans will now return to the mainland to battle the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds for top spot in Canada West. Match time at UBC in Vancouver is set for 5 p.m. PDT. The Vikes will now host the University of the Fraser Valley in a battle for third spot in Canada West.
Match Notes: Victoria outshot TWU 12-10 in total shots, while the Spartans had a 8-5 edge in shots-on-goal…the Spartans finished with eight corner kicks to the Vikes five…
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