ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia – Fourth-year forward
Luciana Andrews (Coquitlam, B.C.) scored the lone goal to lead the Trinity Western Spartans to a 1-0 win over the Fraser Valley Cascades Friday afternoon at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford, B.C. The win improves the Spartans to 8-3-2 in Canada West play, while the Cascades fall to 3-7-3.
Andrews scored her fourth goal of the season in the 61st minute, with fifth-year forward
Sophie Crowther (New Westminster, B.C.) picking up the assist.
TWU fifth-year keeper
Yasmine Pahal (Surrey, B.C.) made two saves in a full 90 minutes to earn the shutout win. Fraser Valley's Alana Madec finished with six saves in the loss.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will close out their regular season against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday, October 24, at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, B.C. Match time is set for 5 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
QUOTABLE
Graham Roxburgh, TWU Head Coach
"I am really pleased to come away from a tricky game with the win. We likely should have been sharper in the final third and killed the game off. They defend deep and well and play on a very narrow pitch so credit my players who stuck to the task. We picked it up on the 2nd half and Veronica brought us some life and variety."
"I am really pleased for Luciana who scored with a tidy finish. Her work rate is superb and today she showed that."
AS IT HAPPENED
Neither team could find the opening goal in the first half. Madec stopped TWU fifth-year defender
Emily Watchman (Edmonton, Alta.) in the 14th minute, before Pahal denied Fraser Valley's
Jaidyn Jackson in the 24th minute. The Spartans also recorded a defensive save on an Eesha Mudaliar effort in the 32nd minute to keep the match scoreless. Madec turned aside fifth-year midfielder
Kylie Hendricks (Maple Ridge, B.C.) in the 41st minute as the teams went into the break tied 0-0. Both sides finished the half with two shots on goal, while TWU held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Spartans generated more chances after the break, with Madec stopping Andrews in the 52nd minute. Fraser Valley was reduced to 10 players when Sarah Belcher received a red card at 59:03. Madec then denied Crowther at 59:27, but TWU broke through at 60:04 when Andrews scored off Crowther's assist to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
Madec kept the Cascades within a goal with saves on third-year midfielder
Veronica Walter (Calgary) in the 65th minute and first-year midfielder
Bella Martins (London, Ont.) in the 88th minute. Pahal preserved the win with a save on Anastasia Kalpidis at 88:20. TWU finished the second half with a 5-1 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans outshot the Cascades 7-3, with all 10 shots recorded on target.
- TWU finished with a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
- The Spartans recorded one defensive save in addition to Pahal's two saves. With the win Pahal now has 26 career wins for third spot in the TWU career record book.
- TWU has won three straight matches without conceding a goal, outscoring its opponents 7-0.
- Last weekend, the Spartans defeated UBC Okanagan 5-0 and Thompson Rivers 1-0 at Chase Office Field.
- TWU also defeated Fraser Valley 1-0 in Langley on September 4, completing a sweep of the season series.
- Crowther's assist gives her 59 career Canada West points, moving her past Seina Kashima for the Spartans' all-time points record. Crowther now has 21 goals and 38 assists.
- Crowther's shot on goal brings her career total to 113, moving her into sole possession of sixth place in Canada West history.
- With the win TWU sits in second place in the Canada West Pacific Division leading the Thompson Rivers WolfPack by four points, 26-22. TWU will play TRU tomorrow night in Kamloops, B.C. for the final game of conference play. TRU plays UBC Okanagan tonight in Kamloops, B.C.
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 and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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