EDMONTON – The Trinity Western women's soccer team rallied from a first-half deficit to win a Canada West bronze medal with a 4-1 win over MacEwan Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the No. 2-ranked Spartans were upset in the conference semifinals. 

Trailing by a goal at the break, a determined Spartans team came out of halftime a different side, with fifth-year Rachel Hutchinson (Cloverdale, B.C.) tallying a hat-trick to lead TWU to a convincing win in the Spartans final game of the season. 

Kathryn Harvey (Coquitlam, B.C.) also scored for the Spartans, who take home a Canada West bronze medal for the first time since 2007. TWU will miss out on playing in the national championship tournament for the first time since 2010. 

MacEwan's Sofia DiGiacomo scored the lone goal for the Griffins, opening the scoring in the 17th minute. 

The Griffins got on the board first on Saturday, when Suekiana Choucair played a 35-yard free kick wide to Hannah Supina, whose cross was volleyed past TWU keeper Hannah Miller (Langley) by DiGiacomo. 

Playing in her final game as a Spartan, Hutchinson launched the TWU rally with a goal in the 52nd minute, juking two defenders and delivering a low, hard strike inside the near post that MacEwan keeper Emily Burns, who got a piece of but not enough to keep it from rolling across the line. Fellow TWU fifth-year Brooklyn Tidder (White Rock, B.C.) earned the assist. 

Hutchinson notched the winning goal nine minutes later when she one-timed Maddie Melnychuk's (Langley, B.C.) cross past Burns in the 61st minute

With TWU taking control of the contest, Harvey doubled TWU's lead in the 74th minute before Hutchinson completed the hat-trick in the 88th minute with a highlight-reel marker, cutting in on the defence and ripping a cracker high left. Fifth-year star and Canada West Player of the Year Jenaya Robertson (Delta, B.C.) assisted on the final goal of the Spartans season. 

Along with fifth-years Hutchinson, Robertson and Tidder, Nicole Bolder (Calgary) also played in her final game with TWU. Carley Willmott (Langley, B.C.), who didn't play Saturday, is the Spartans fifth graduating senior. 
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Coach Graham Roxburgh
"I am almost speechless as to the character and resilience of the group that showed up today, especially after we went down a goal. I thought we played well and showed a lot of courage and heart. It would have been easy to just come and say that it just wasn't our weekend, but we wanted to finish well and we wanted to send off our seniors in a special way. 

"I told the team at halftime that I just wanted them to enjoy playing together and to play free and that's exactly what they did. They battled and they won the ball high up the park. Jenaya kept winning the ball back and keeping us in possession. I thought Sierra Halldorson (Winnipeg) was a tower of strength in both games. And then Rachel does what has made her one of the best in Canada over the last five years – just running and taking players on and generating chances and finishing. 

"The back four was solid. I was really impressed with Maddie Melnychuk's contribution in the second half. Harvey ran tirelessly all season and showed that again today. I thought everyone gave a great contribution today. Hannah Miller (Langley) had a great bounce back and she's had a great season. In the end, I'm super proud our team and our seniors. Of course it's very disappointing not to go to nationals because if we play how we played in the second half, great things happen. But it's been a great year and this is a special group and this was a good way to finish our season."

NOTABLE
•    Since entering Canada West in 2001, the Spartans have earned 15 conference medals in 19 seasons, including eight gold, five silver and two bronze. 
•    This year marked the 16th consecutive appearance for the Spartans in the Canada West Final Four.
•    The last time TWU played in a Canada West bronze medal match was in 2010, when the Spartans finished fourth after losing to Alberta 2-2 (4:3).

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

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