LANGLEY, B.C. – And then there were four. Pacific Division teams, that is.
Following a wild opening weekend of Canada West women's soccer playoff action, only four teams remain in the race for the CW banner, as the Trinity Western Spartans, UBC Thunderbirds, Victoria Vikes, and MacEwan Griffins take aim at conference gold this weekend.
All four teams hail from Canada West's Pacific Division, as three of the four teams survived quarter-final matchups with Prairie Division opponents to advance to the Final Four tournament in Langley, B.C.
The Spartans were the lone team to take down a divisional rival in the quarters, as they earned a 1-0 win over the Fraser Valley Cascades this past weekend, while Victoria downed Calgary 1-0, UBC beat Saskatchewan 3-0, and MacEwan earned the biggest upset of the weekend with a 2-1 win over Alberta.
Those results mean an all-Pacific Final Four between some of the nation's top teams. When it comes to separation, there isn't much to speak of between the quartet, particularly between first and second. Both TWU and Victoria finished with 31 regular season points, as the Spartans earned the edge for top spot thanks to a better head-to-head record with the Vikes.
The Spartans narrowly edged UVic 2-1 back on Sept. 9, before the pair drew 0-0 on the second last day of the regular season (Oct. 20). Now the pair are hoping for one more matchup, as they head into their semifinals. For Victoria, the Griffins stand in the way of a CW gold medal game appearance.
MacEwan is coming off a magical opening playoff weekend, which saw the Edmonton squad down Mount Royal 2-1 in penalties in their play-in game, before earning another 2-1 victory – this time thanks to an extra time goal – over the Prairie Division's top team in Alberta.
In the other semi, Trinity Western will have their hands full with UBC, who took the long way to the Final Four – literally. The Thunderbirds navigated a 3-1 play-in game against the Manitoba Bisons in Saskatoon, before defeating the host Huskies 3-0 in the quarters.
Now, the defending CW champions return to the Lower Mainland intent on punching their ticket to the U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship. That tournament is slated for Nov. 9-12 in Winnipeg, where the host Bisons are set to welcome two more CW teams.
That means a CW semifinal win Friday will guarantee a trip to the Manitoba capital for a shot at national gold.
Both UBC and TWU have been to the last two national tournaments, but with the pair meeting in the semis, either MacEwan or Victoria will get a shot this year on the national stage.
Victoria's last nationals appearance came back in 2012 when they hosted the event, while MacEwan – in just their fourth season of CW play – is searching for both the program's first CW medal and berth to the U SPORTS championship.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 3 - Semifinals
2:30 p.m. - GMU vs. VIC
5:30 p.m. - UBC vs. TWU
Saturday, Nov. 4 - Medal round
2:30 p.m. - bronze medal game
5 p.m. - CW championship game
*All games will be played at Chase Office Field and streamed live on
Canada West TV.
