LANGLEY, British Columbia – Canada West All-Star forward Sophie Crowther (New Westminster, B.C.) got the 4-3 penalty kick winner to lead the No. 6 Trinity Western Spartans to a 2-1 win over the Calgary Dinos Friday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. The win gives the Spartans one of the four spots in next weekend's Canada West final four. This will be the Spartans' 19^th straight season making the Canada West Final Four.

TWU fifth-year keeper Hannah Miller (Langley, B.C.) made two saves in regulation and three saves in the shoot-out to earn the win, while the Dinos' Anna Demarbre made nine saves in regulation and two saves in the shootout.

AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans opened the scoring in the 25^th minute. TWU all-star Crowther beat the outside back up the right side and then sent a low pass across the six to the far post to a waiting Laren Spiller  (first-year, Surrey, B.C.). Spiller took a touch to gain control and then put the ball into the open left side of the Dinos' net to give TWU a 1-0 lead.

The Spartans had much of the play in the Dinos' end of the park for nearly the entire 45 minutes of the opening period. But TWU only went into the break with a one-goal lead.

Out of half-time, the Dinos were immediately awarded a free kick just inside of their half. The kick went high to the top of the TWU box, where Calgary's Jayden Berg flicked the ball onto Grace Moore. Moore went in alone at the centre of the TWU penalty area and beat Miller to tie the match at 1-1 in the 46^th minute.

From there and through the overtime it was a physical game with each team looking to take advantage of a mistake. But none came as the game went to penalty kicks.

QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Graham Roxburgh
"We knew it was going to be a battle and I thought we were outstanding to start the match. I thought we moved the ball well and we moved the ball into spaces that we had talked about. Calgary is a good team and they defend really well, but I thought that we were on our front foot a lot, and generated five or six good chances. We just need to be a little more clinical in our final shot or our final pass or decision."
 
"We were rewarded with our goal. I thought that we probably could have scored two or three more and maybe put the game out of sight. But, we started not playing the right pass and maybe giving the ball away needlessly and maybe just panicking a little bit. Calgary hadn't threatened our goal before they scored but all it takes is one moment. And then we were back to even. And at that point, it became a little bit of a war of attrition and a game of transition."
 
"But credit to some kids. I thought our back four were outstanding including Mya Bajpai (second year, Mission, B.C.) who came on for Sarah Bazille (third-year, Coquitlam, B.C.). Olivia Kranjcec (third-year, Okotoks, Alta.) was outstanding tonight. Sierra Halldorson (fourth-year, Winnipeg, Man.) Maddie Melnychuk (fourth-year, Langley, B.C.), and Bryana Butar (fourth-year, Abbotsford, B.C.) I thought for a long time bossed the midfield."
 
"I thought we tired and they tired and it became a little bit more of who was going to make a mistake or punish a team for a mistake. And penalties are a fifty-fifty thing. I've been on the end of good ones and I've had to suffer the heartache of losing them so I'm just really proud. I think we did deserve to win tonight, but credit to Calgary they put up a pretty stiff test."
 
NOTABLE

• Trinity Western is currently ranked No. 6 in the U SPORTS Top 10.
• Spartans finished second in the Canada West Pacific Division at 9-2-3 (.750).
• Calgary is third in the Canada West Prairie Division at 8-2-4 (.714)
• In their one meeting this year in Calgary, the Spartans and the Dinos tied 3-3.
• TWU is 18-7-7 lifetime against the Dinos.

UP NEXT
The Spartans will play the winner of Victoria and MacEwan, which is being played on Saturday at noon at MacEwan, in one CW semi-final. The other semi-final will be between the winner of UBC Okanagan and Saskatchewan, and the winner between Regina and UBC. If UBC wins the Final Four will be in Vancouver. Should UBC lose the Final Four will be at TWU. The Final Four is scheduled for November 3-4.
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
 
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