And We’re Off… The Playoffs Begin In Canada West

Photo Credit Courtesy of Canada West: https://canadawest.org/tournaments/?id=77

The following post is from Canada West October 20, 2022: https://canadawest.org/news/2022/10/20/general-wsoc-stage-set-for-playoff-showdown.aspx.

The Road to the Canada West Women’s Soccer Final Four begins Saturday with a pair of play-in matches that will finalize the field for next weekend’s quarterfinal round.

Manitoba hosts Regina while Victoria visits Thompson Rivers, with both matches broadcast live on Canada West TV. The winners advance to join Alberta, Calgary, Mount Royal, Saskatchewan, Trinity Western, and UBC, who automatically clinched berths by virtue of finishing within the top 3 of their respective division’s standings.

Saturday’s matches are just the start of what promises to be an exciting postseason on pitches across the conference. Here’s a look at the 10 teams that have championship aspirations.

UBC (13-1-0, 1^st in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The T-Birds are the all-time Canada West women’s soccer leader with 15 championships, with their most recent conference title coming in 2016.
One to Watch: Fifth-year forward Danielle Steer led Canada West during the regular season with 22 points, scoring 14 goals and recording eight assists in 14 games.

Trinity Western (9-2-3, 2^nd in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Spartans have won three of the last four Canada West women’s soccer titles and captured the conference championship nine times since 2004.
One to Watch: Fourth-year goalkeeper Hannah Miller played in all 14 matches during the season for the Spartans and ranked first in Canada West with seven shutouts.

Calgary (9-3-2, 3^rd in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Dinos are the only team to defeat UBC during the 2022 Canada West women’s soccer regular season, topping the T-Birds 3-2 in Calgary on Sept. 25.
One to Watch: Third-year forward Rachel Barlow led Canada West during the regular season for both total assists, 11, and assist per game, 0.786.

Thompson Rivers (6-6-2, 4^th in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Wolfpack are undefeated in their last five matches at Hillside Stadium, going 3-0-2, and haven’t lost at home since a 1-0 loss to UNBC on Sept. 4.
One to Watch: Third-year forward Emily Clark accounted for half of TRU’s game-winning goals during the regular season, scoring three of them to tie for fourth in Canada West.

Victoria (5-5-4, 5^th in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Vikes’ most recent win came on Sept. 30, when they defeated their play-in opponent for this weekend, Thompson Rivers, 1-0 in Victoria.
One to Watch: Third-year goalkeeper Kayley Lidstone had five shutouts, third most in Canada West, during the 2022 season, including a clean sheet against TRU on Sept. 30.

Mount Royal (10-3-1, 1^st in Prairie Division)

Of Note: The Cougars are a on five-match win streak and have won eight of their last nine after a stretch of three matches without a win in mid-September.
One to Watch: Second-year goalkeeper Lizzy Knight was the only goalie to rank top four in Canada West for both saves (75, second) and save percentage (.824, fourth).

Alberta (9-4-1, 2^nd in Prairie Division)

Of Note: The Pandas are the only team in the Canada West women’s soccer playoffs that averaged double-figures in shots on goal (10.71) during the regular season.
One to Watch: Second-year midfielder Adrienne Poulin was one of four Canada West players with double-figures in goals, scoring 10 on a conference-high 31 shots on goal.

Saskatchewan (7-4-3, 3^rd in Prairie Division)

Of Note: The Huskies went 4-2-1 on the road during the regular season, including a stretch of five consecutive matches away from Saskatoon without a loss.
One to Watch: Second-year forward Naleya Kobussen, a 2021 Canada West women’s soccer All-Rookie Team selection, led the Huskies with three assists this season.

Manitoba (7-6-1, 4^th in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Bisons were 1-0-1 against their play-in opponent, Regina, during the regular season, winning 3-1 on the road and playing to a 1-1 draw in Winnipeg.
One to Watch: Second-year forward Bianca Cavalcanti led Canada West with 4.67 shots per game, and ranked fifth in the conference for goals, scoring nine times in 12 matches.

Regina (2-7-5, 5^th in Pacific Division)

Of Note: The Cougars have not scored a postseason goal since 2013 and have been shutout in each of their last five matches in the Canada West playoffs.
One to Watch: Third-year defender Sophia Stevens led the Rams with four assists, and scored twice, including the late equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Manitoba on Sept. 24.

For the complete schedule, playoff recaps and updates, visit the 2022 CW Women’s Soccer Championship Central.

	Away	Home	Result	Location	Links
	Regina 2	Manitoba 1	Final	(Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Box Score
	Victoria 1	Thompson Rivers 1	Final2-4 SO	(Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Box Score

	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Regina	UBC	6:30 PM	CW Playoffs: Quarterfinal (Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video
	Saskatchewan	Trinity Western	7:30 PM	CW Playoffs: Quarterfinal (Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video

	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Calgary	Alberta	12:00 PM	CW Playoffs: Quarterfinal (Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video
	Thompson Rivers	Mount Royal	1:00 PM	CW Playoffs: Quarterfinal (Conf.) 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video

	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Canada West	TBD	TBD	CW Final Four / QF1 winner vs QF4 winner 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video
	Canada West	TBD	TBD	CW Final Four / QF2 winner vs QF3 winner 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video

	Away	Home	Time	Location	Links
	Canada West	TBD	TBD	CW Final Four / Bronze medal game 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video
	Canada West	TBD	TBD	CW Final Four / Championship game 2022 Canada West Women’s Soccer Playoffs	Video

24 October 2022

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