Battle of Quebec in CCAA Final
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Quebec dominance of the CCAA in Women’s Soccer continued on Thursday evening as we get to see another “All Quebec” final. This proves again that the folks in Quebec know what they are doing when it comes to soccer development. But there may be a glimmer of hope with the showings of Ontario’s Humber and Seneca Colleges, things may change soon down the road, but for now we need to give credit where credit is due, Quebec is on top.
Here is how things happened on day 2 at the CCAA Nationals:
MATCH 8: Aigles d’Ahuntsic 3, Seneca Sting 0
The last game of Day 2 between RSEQ Champions les Aigles d’Ahuntsic and the OCAA wildcard Seneca Sting would determine who would be going for gold against the Cavaliers on Saturday.
After a scoreless first-half that saw both teams play with some caution, Ahuntsic broke through Seneca’s tight defense and took a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute with a goal by # 6 Sarah-Eve Bélanger.
Ahuntsic capitalized on their goal and increased their offensive tempo, adding to their lead with a goal off a cross that was headed to the far corner, where Seneca’s goalkeeper made a tremendous save, only for it to be tapped home by # 11, Alexie Bellrose in the 69th minute.
Les Aigles scored their 3rd goal, sealing the deal and punching their ticket to the gold medal game for the first time since 2016. Ahuntsic will now meet Provincial rival and hosts Champlain Saint-Lambert in the Gold medal game on Saturday, while Seneca will go up against Red Deer for a chance to make it to the Bronze final.
Since 2010, a team from Quebec has been in every CCAA gold medal game, and it is the fourth time since 2016 that BOTH teams vying for gold have been from the RSEQ,
Courtney Airhiavbere was name the 4-Imprint Player of the Game for the Seneca, while Jeanne Even received the honor for Ahuntsic.
MATCH 7: *Champlain Cavaliers 0, Humber Hawks 0 (*Cavaliers 4-3 PK)
In the first Semi-Final matchup, hosts the Champlain Cavaliers took on the OCAA Champion Humber Hawks. The game was a tale of two halves, with the Cavaliers dominating play in the first stanza. The Cavaliers had numerous chances in close but were unbale to seal the deal and find the back of the net.
As if a switch were flipped after 45 minutes, it was the Hawks that dominated play in the second half, with Humber putting the Cavaliers on their heels. The OCAA’s champions raised their level of play, creating a few serious scoring opportunities, but the Cavaliers’ defense prevailed. Both teams held their lines and nd the game ended 0-0 in regulation.
After exchanging missed shots, saves by both teams, it was tied 3-3 after the first five shooters. With the 6th Humber shoot missing the net high, it came down to a Victoria Dupont, who buried her shot and propelled the Cavaliers to their 4th CCAA gold medal game in 5 years, and their first ever gold medal match on home turf. The Hawks will look to push through the bronze semi-finals on Friday for a chance to play for hardware in Saturday’s Bronze final.
Isabella Fiorono from Humber and Rosalie Stabile from the Cavaliers, both teams’ keepers, were named the 4-Imprint Players of the Game.
MATCH 6: VIU Mariners 2, MSVU Mystics 1
In the second match of Day 2 VIU and MSVU squared off in the second bronze medal quarter final.
In another quick start, VIU jumped off to an early lead after Tori Hauptman scored in the 8th minute. The Mariners struck again, in the 63rd minute when Mya Creed found the back of the net. With remarkable effort, MSVU fought back and pressed forward, and managed to cut the lead in half when Kaitlyn Oakey rounded the VIU goalkeeper, tucking away her shot and finding the back of the goal. Despite the best effort o the Mystics, VIU held on for the win.
The Mariners now advance to play in bronze semi-final, to be played on Friday at 12:30.
The 4-Imprint Players of the Game were #1, Morgan Gillis from MSVU and #15, Tori Hauptman from VIU.
MATCH 5: Red Deer Queens 2, Rouges de Saint-Boniface
The second day of action at the 2022 CCAA Women’s Soccer Nationals began with the first bronze medal quarter-final match between Les Rouges de Saint-Boniface from the MCAC amd the Red Deer Queens from the ACAC.
Red Deer took no time hitting a well-placed strike from captain Alisha Coules (#9) in the 2nd minute to take and early 1-0 lead. Despite the Queen’s fast start, USB kept their composure and held fast for the rest of the first half, going into the break, down 0-1.
The second half saw both teams another quick goal by the Queens, with a goal from Jenica Swatrz (#16) in the 49th minute, that doubled Red Deer’s lead and iced the cake for the team from the ACAC
The win put the Queens in the bronze semi-final, to be played on Friday at 15:00.
The 4-Imprint Players of the Game were #14, Kalyna Demaré from les Rouges and #15, Jaden Humphrey from Red Deer.
Source: https://www.ccaa.ca/sports/wsoc/2022-23/releases/2022_wsc_day_2