WSOC: Quarterfinal Preview
Who will advance to the final four next weekend?
Oct. 27, 2023 - The 2023 Canada West women’s soccer postseason continues this weekend, with eight teams looking to book a trip to the Final Four.
Quarterfinal matches will see the Trinity Western Spartans take on the Calgary Dinos on Friday (Oct. 27), before the MacEwan Griffins host the Victoria Vikes, the Regina Cougars visit the UBC T-Birds, and the UBC Okanagan Heat meet the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday (Oct. 28).
The playoffs opened with a pair of play-in games last Saturday, when Victoria prevailed over the UFV Cascades 4-3 on penalty kicks, while the Cougars upset the Alberta Pandas 4-3 in Edmonton.
This is the 40th year of postseason competition for the Canada West women’s soccer championship trophy. The eight programs in the quarterfinals account for all but one of the previous 39 champions.
This year’s Final Four promises to have a different look from 2022, with at least two new participants. Among the teams in the quarterfinals, only the defending champion T-Birds, along with Calgary and Trinity Western, were part of last year’s semi-final matches.
All games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV. Here’s a look at who to watch in this weekend's slate of matches:
MacEwan (10-2-2, first in Prairie Division) vs. Victoria (8-4-2, fourth in Pacific Division) – Saturday noon MT at Clareview Field in Edmonton
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 17: Victoria 1 at MacEwan 1
- Who to Watch:
- Anneke Odinga (MacEwan, third year, defender) started all14 games for the Griffins during the regular season, totalling three points including one game-winning goal.
- Ruby Nicholas (Victoria, second year, forward) tied for first in Canada West with nine assists during the regular season, and scored four goals, including one against MacEwan.
UBC (13-1-0, first in Pacific Division) vs. Regina (3-6-5, fifth in Prairie Division) – Saturday 4:30 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Did not play
- Who to Watch
- Katalin Tolnai (UBC, fourth year, forward) was the runaway leader in Canada West this season with 22 points, and she also tied for first in the conference with 14 goals.
- Peyton Enns (Regina, third year, forward) was named Canada West Player of the Week after setting a Regina postseason record with three goals in the Cougars’ play-in victory over Alberta.
Saskatchewan (10-3-1, second in Prairie Division) vs. UBC Okanagan (8-4-2, third in Pacific Division) – Saturday 2 p.m. CT at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 17: UBC Okanagan 3 at Saskatchewan 2
- Who to Watch
- Alyssa D’Agnone (Saskatchewan, third year, forward) tied for first on the Huskies with six regular season goals, two which came when Saskatchewan hosted the Heat in September.
- Stefanie Young (UBC Okanagan, third year, midfield) tied for the Canada West lead this season with 14 goals, three of which came in the Heat’s 3-2 victory over the Huskies.
Trinity Western (9-2-3, second in Pacific Division) vs. Calgary (8-2-4, third in Prairie Division) – Friday 7 p.m. PT at Chase Office Field in Langley
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 16: Trinity Western 3 at Calgary 3
- Who to Watch
- Sophie Crowther (Trinity Western, second year, forward) followed up on being named Canada West Rookie of the Year in 2022 by notching a team-best seven goals and eight assists this season.
- Rachel Barlow (Calgary, fourth year, forward) led the Dinos with seven goals this season, and accounted for all of Calgary’s scoring in its 3-3 draw with the Spartans.