WOMEN’S SOCCER HOSTS CANADA WEST FINAL FOUR

WOMEN’S SOCCER (CANADA WEST)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2011
FINAL FOUR PREVIEW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOMEN’S SOCCER CANADA WEST FINAL FOUR PREVIEW



LANGLEY, British Columbia – Beginning Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. the women’s soccer  Canada West Final Four will begin at Trinity Western University’s Rogers Park as the top four teams this side of Ontario will compete for a conference tile and a spot in next weekend’s national championship in Montreal, Que.

The #2 University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will open up against the #3 University of Alberta Pandas at 2:00 p.m. followed by the #4 University of Victoria Vikes against the #1 Trinity Western University at 5:00 p.m. The two winners will advance to the CW gold medal match and will each earn an automatic spot at the CIS women’s soccer championship at McGill University Nov. 10-13.

Follow live stats at www.canadawest.tv

SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Alberta vs UBC – 2:00 p.m.
Victoria vs Trinity Western – 5:00 p.m.

SATURDAY
Bronze Medal Game – 2:00 p.m.
Gold Medal Game – 5:00 p.m.

ALBERTA PANDAS
2011 conference record: 9-4-2
CIS Ranking: 9th
Canada West ranking: 3rd
Last CW Title: 2001
Last CIS Title: 2001
Last CW Final Four Appearance: 2010 - 3rd

The No.9 ranked Alberta Pandas soccer team head to Trinity Western University for the Canada West Final Four championship as the third-seeded team and the only team outside of the province of British Columbia.

Alberta brings the second most potent offence in Canada West (30 goals scored in 14 games) as they scored only one goal fewer than the Spartans. The Pandas were also proficient at the other end of the pitch as their 11 goals allowed was the third fewest in the conference, trailing only UBC and TWU.

Veteran striker Heather Lund finished second in conference points with 11 goals and two assists, while Amanda Black chalked up 11 points, and sophomore striker Kayla Michaels had nine points.

Lund, defender Shalla Kadima and midfielder Carleigh Miller, who was given the Canada West Student-Athlete Award, were all named to Canada West First Team All-Stars while Elise Emmott was a Second Team All-Star.

Sophomore goalie Kelti Biggs earned nine wins this season and six clean sheets.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS
2011 conference record: 11-1-2
CIS Ranking: 3rd
Canada West ranking: 2nd
Last CW Title: 2007
Last CIS Title: 2006
Last CW Final Four Appearance: 2010 - 2nd
 
The UBC Thunderbirds enter the Canada West Final Four looking to win the school’s first conference title since 2007.
 
Led by coach Mark Rogers, UBC is a well-rounded team that set the Canada West record for most shutouts in a season with 11.  Captain Kelly Cook and Alisha Panev anchor the defence, while rookie Alyssa Williamson, who was the Canada West Rookie of the Year, has been solid as the team’s primary goalkeeper in 2011.
 
The midfield is solid and experienced, led by fifth-year seniors Lisa Furutani and Natalie Hirayama.
 
Up front, Janine Frazao, who as the Canada West Player of the Year, has terrorized opposing defences this season, scoring a conference-record 16 goals in 14 games.

Cook and Frazao were named Canada West First-Team All-Stars while Williamson, Penev and Hirayama were Second Team All-Stars.

VICTORIA VIKES
2011 conference record: 7-4-3
CIS Ranking: N/A
Canada West ranking: 4th
Last CW Title: 2008
Last CIS Title: 2005
Last CW Final Four Appearance: 2009 - 4th

The University of Victoria Vikes put together an impressive late-season run to qualify as the fourth seed in the Canada West playoffs.

Led by talented midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki, a member of the national team program who missed two league games while playing with Canada during a tour in the U.S., the Vikes put together a record of 7-4-3 and two of their four losses came with Sawicki out of the lineup.

After missing the post-season in 2010, the Vikes are on a three-game winning streak and are unbeaten in four.

Goalkeeper Stephanie Parker of Chemainus, B.C., is a key player to watch and will be counted upon to provide leadership at the back in front of a young and less experienced defensive back-four. Freshmen Shannon Elder and Emma Greig provide depth in scoring along with talented two-way midfielder Jacqueline Harrison and Nathalie Scharf.

Sawicki was named a Canada West First-Team All-Star while defender Amy Lawrence was a Second Team All-Star.

TRINITY WESTERN SPARTANS
2011 conference record: 12-1-1
CIS Ranking: 2nd
Canada West ranking: 1st
Last CW Title: 2009
Last CIS Title: 2009
Last CW Final Four Appearance: 2010 - 4th

Led by Canada West Coach of the Year Graham Roxburgh, the No. 2 ranked Trinity Western Spartans will host the Canada West Final Four as they seek to win their second conference banner in three years and a berth in this year’s national championship.

After posting a program best and conference leading 12-1-1 regular season record, the Spartans earned the right to host the Final Four.

The Spartans enter the playoffs riding a 13-game unbeaten streak as they haven’t lost since a season-opening 1-0 setback against UBC. Over that streak the Spartans have outscored their opponents 31-6 and have yet to allow more than one goal in any game this year.

The Spartans, who scored 2.21 goals per game (1st in CW) while allowing just 0.50 goals against per game (2nd in CW) were led offensively by Daniela Gerig, who had six goals and five assists, Melissa Mobilio, who had five goals and six assists, and Jenna Di Nunzio, who was tied for the conference lead with seven assists.

In net Kristen Funk had a 0.50 goals against average (2nd in CW), a .851 save percentage (2nd in CW) and eight shutouts (2nd in CW).

Funk, Mobilio, defenders Jennifer Castillo and Colleen Webber and midfielder Natalie Boyd were all named  Canada West First Team All-Stars while Gerig and defender Jilian Dietrich were Second Team All-Stars.

All matches will take place at Trinity Western University at 7600 Glover Road, Langley, B.C. The games will broadcast live stats at Canadawest.tv. No streaming will be available.

Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year, 1997 to 2010. Comprised of 16 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. “cwuaa” on Twitter.

A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

-TW-

Last Updated: 2011-11-03
Author: Mark Janzen