Spartans advance to CW Final in PK thriller

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Trinity Western Spartans are heading back to the Canada West women’s soccer championship final.

 

The 10-time champions booked their berth in Friday’s final, and a place at next week’s nationals, thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout win over the Calgary Dinos at UBC’s Ken Woods Field on Thursday evening.

 

With the teams unable to find a breakthrough over 120 minutes, the semi-final headed to spot kicks, with Emily Watchman dispatching the decisive penalty to spark jubilant scenes amongst the Spartans players and supporters, securing the 3-2 shootout win.

 

"I’m not sure my ticker can take much more of that to be honest, especially with the dramatic nature of the shootout," remarked a relieved Graham Roxburgh, Trinity Western head coach. "We’ve got an amazing keeper…and credit to the kids - Calgary as well - who stepped up. You’ve got to be brave to take a penalty and all 10 of those kids were brave."

 

It was a goalless, but entertaining first half, with the best chances falling to the Spartans.

 

Trinity Western’s leading scorer Mansha Sidhu didn’t miss by much with a seventh minute curler to the back post. The Spartans came even closer in the 31st minute when Sidhu was played in, but Dinos keeper Lauren Houghton was quickly off her line for a big block. The rebound fell to Sidney Giesbrecht, but her shot went inches past the right post and the game remained scoreless.

 

Trinity Western had their best chance a minute later when Sophie Crowther sent a dangerous ball across goal, but Holland Stiel failed to connect on the cross with the goal gaping.

 

Calgary came out strong to start the second half and Brooke Batty headed a corner over in the 52nd minute. Trinity Western came close in the 69th minute when Sidhu sent a cross into the box, which was met well by Crowther but she couldn’t get enough power on her shot to trouble Houghton.

 

The Dinos looked set to grab the opener two minutes later when Isabella Dipalma’s brilliant through ball sent Rowyn James in on goal, but with Spartans keeper Yasmine Pahal coming out to narrow the angle, she pulled her shot wide.

 

If that was a close call for Calgary, they had an even closer one two minutes before the end of normal time as Grace Moore was played in superbly, but she agonizingly put her shot inches past the right post.

 

The game headed to extra time and it was Calgary who had the chances to win it as the clock ticked over to triple digits.

 

Liz Orubor had a shot in the 100th minute, which Pahal couldn’t hold but no Dinos could get onto the loose ball before the danger was cleared. Pahal then came up with a tremendous acrobatic save to deny Moore in the 116th minute, before Moore fired one narrowly over two minutes later.

 

Nothing could separate the teams after 120 minutes of soccer and the game headed to penalties.

 

Trinity Western missed their first two penalties, with Calgary scoring their first and missing their second. The Dinos scored one and missed one of their next two, with the Spartans dispatching both of theirs. Calgary captain Sofia Digiacomo blasted her side’s fifth kick over the bar, setting the scene for Watchman to score the decisive kick for the Spartans and cap off the most dramatic of shootout comebacks.

 

Trinity Western will now meet UBC Thunderbirds in Friday’s final at Ken Woods Field. Kick off is 3:30 p.m. (PT). This will be the fourth time in the last five seasons that the teams have met in the Canada West championship game.

 

The Calgary Dinos will play the Mount Royal Cougars in Friday’s bronze medal match. Kick off for that one is 12:30 p.m. (PT).