WSOC: Final Four teams go for glory this weekend
Your complete Women's Soccer Final Four preview
By Brian Swane, special to CW
After advancing through the quarterfinals, a quartet of Pacific Division teams are gathering at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver this weekend for the Canada West Women’s Soccer Final Four.
In semi-final contests on Friday, the host UBC Thunderbirds take on the Calgary Dinos while the Trinity Western Spartans meet the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. The gold and bronze medal matches follow on Saturday. Catch all the action streaming live and on demand on Canada West TV.
The four semi-finalists from the Pacific Division defeated their respective Prairie Division opponents last weekend in an eventful quarterfinal round that will be talked about for some time.
Calgary scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to beat Alberta 3-2 on the Pandas’ turf. In Langley, Trinity Western recorded a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Saskatchewan. UBC erupted for four goals in each half of an 8-1 home victory over Regina. And after penalty kicks were needed to break a 3-3 tie, Thompson Rivers knocked off the Mount Royal Cougars, who were undefeated in the regular season.
The field at Canada West Women’s Soccer Final Four represents all but three of the Canada West gold medal-winning teams of the past two decades, and the last seven universities to capture the CW Women's Soccer Championship Trophy, including the defending champion Spartans.
FRIDAY'S SEMIFINALS
UBC vs. Calgary at 5 p.m. PDT
Regular season result: Dinos def. Thunderbirds 3-2 at Calgary on Sept. 25
Fast Facts:
- UBC is in its seventh consecutive Canada West Final Four, aiming to reach the championship match for a third straight time. The T-Birds’ last gold medal came in 2016, when they won their record 15th title.
- Calgary is both the only team to defeat UBC and score more than one goal against the T-Birds in 2022. This is the Dinos’ first Final Four appearance since winning the 2019 championship.
Players to watch:
- Sarah Johns, UBC. The fourth-year goalkeeper was named to the 2022 Canada West First Team after leading the conference with 12 wins and recording six clean sheets. She was victorious in her first career postseason start, last week against Regina.
- Rachel Barlow, Calgary. The third-year forward factored on all her team’s goals in its 3-2 quarter-final triumph over Alberta, scoring once and adding two assists. A Canada West First Team selection in 2022, she led the conference with 11 assists and was second with 17 points this season.
Trinity Western vs. Thompson Rivers at 8 p.m. PDT
Regular season result: 0-0 draw at Thompson Rivers on Sept. 23
Fast Facts:
- The Spartans have lost just twice in their last 30 Canada West matches, regular season and playoffs combined. TWU has not allowed a goal in its last four conference playoff matches, all victories.
- With their upset of MRU, the WolfPack got their first postseason win since joining Canada West in 2014. TRU had previously reached the playoffs only once, in 2015, when they were eliminated by UBC.
Players to watch:
- Charis Wardrope, Trinity Western. The first-year forward, a Canada West All-Rookie selection, led TWU and tied for sixth in Canada West with eight goals during the regular season. She scored twice, including the game-winning goal, in the Spartans’ quarter-final victory over Saskatchewan.
- Marissa Young, Thompson Rivers. The fourth-year goalkeeper played all but one half for the WolfPack this season, logging 1,215 minutes, third most in Canada West. In the quarterfinal upset of Mount Royal, she didn’t concede a goal on four of the Cougars’ eight penalty kick attempts.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
For all game updates, schedules and recaps, visit Women's Soccer Championship Central.
WATCH ON CANADA WEST TV
Don't miss a second of the action. You can catch all the games exclusively on Canada West TV.