(Halifax, N.S.) The top six AUS women's soccer teams will battle for the 2014 Subway AUS Women's Soccer Championship title this weekend at Dalhousie University.
Memorial, Acadia, UNB, Dalhousie and UNB will all challenge to dethrone the defending champion Cape Breton Capers Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 2.
Memorial Sea-Hawks
After an impressive season the Memorial Sea-Hawks secured themselves a quarter-final bye, finishing second in the women’s AUS soccer standings with a record of 9-3-1. The Sea-Hawks had a slow start to the season going 2-3-0 in their first five games. Memorial would go undefeated for the rest of way with a record of 7-0-1. The Sea-Hawks are going into championship weekend red-hot, outscoring opponents 22-2 since September 27. First-year forward, Emily Bailey led the charge finishing second in the AUS scoring race with ten goals on the season. The goaltending tandem of Hannah Noseworthy and Jamie Crocker has been nearly unbeatable this season. Noseworthy posted a league-best save percentage of .974 in six starts while Crocker finished with a .829 save percentage in seven starts.
Cape Breton Capers
The defending AUS champion Cape Breton Capers are the top seed in the quarter-finals, finishing third in the AUS with a record of 7-4-2. The Capers looked like they would challenge for top spot in the AUS early in the season after a 4-1-1 start. Despite being tied for the league lead in scoring, they would go on to lose three straight games being shutout for a total of 270 straight minutes. The Capers would get back on track closing out the season 3-0-1, scoring 12 goals in the four-game span. Cape Breton is led by Karolyne Blain who tore up the AUS, winning the scoring title by a margin of six goals. Blain had 16 goals in 13 games including six multi-goal games. The Capers will start their AUS title defence on Friday when they face sixth-seed UPEI at Wickwire Field.
Acadia Axewomen
The Axewomen finished the season fourth in the AUS despite losing just one game all season long. Acadia posted a 5-1-7 record, with five of their seven draws finishing 0-0. Acadia’s only loss of the season came in their final game against Mount Allison where they lost 3-0. Keeper Caroline Wood went undefeated in nine starts and shutout her opponents six times. Goals were hard to come by at the opposite end for the Axewomen who only found the back of the net 18 times, lowest of any team who qualified for the playoffs. Second-year striker Meghan Earle was the team’s most dangerous offensive weapon with five goals in 12 games. Acadia will play tournament host Dalhousie on Friday at Wickwire Field and will look to improve on their second-place finish last season.
UNB Varsity Reds
The UNB Varsity Reds finished at the top of the AUS standings after a dominate season with a 10-1-2 record. The Varsity Reds were undefeated in the month of September, winning six games and splitting two. The only loss of the season came in October against Dalhousie. UNB would bounce back to win four straight heading into the playoffs. Seniors Samantha Lagacy and Kayla Painter are UNB’s best offensive threats scoring nine and eight goals this season, respectively. Goalkeeper Rebecca Duda has started the last five games for the Varsity Reds, allowing seven goals over the duration. UNB is the favorite to win the AUS women’s soccer title after missing the playoffs completely last season. The Varsity Reds will play the lowest-seed remaining on Saturday as they look to win their first ever AUS women’s soccer championship.
Dalhousie Tigers
After losing in the semifinals of the AUS women’s soccer championship last season, the Tigers recorded a 6-4-3 record, fifth best in the AUS. Dalhousie had an inconsistent start to the season going 3-3-2 in the month of September. The Tigers turned the ship around in October, securing much-needed points in five of their last six games. Rachel Hunt and Katie Morgan split time between the pipes this season allowing twenty-one goals in thirteen games. SMU transfer, Michelle Yates gave the Tigers a serious offensive boost putting away seven goals in her final year of eligibility. The Tigers play Acadia on Friday and will look to win their third AUS championship in four years.
UPEI Panthers
The UPEI Panthers secured the last AUS playoff spot with a 5-6-2 record, edging out the StFX X-Women by two points. The Panthers closed out the season with four straight loses against four out of the top five teams in the AUS. It was a tough stretch for the Panthers who were outscored 14-2 since October 17. Ashley McKenna, goalkeeper for the Panthers had nine starts and allowed twenty goals in those games. Maria Scichilone was the team’s leading scorer with six goals this season. UPEI will play Cape Breton in the quarter-finals, in a rematch of last season’s AUS semifinal match that saw Cape Breton advance.
Game Schedule
Friday, Oct.
31
Quarter-final #1: UPEI (6th) vs. Cape
Breton (3rd), 11 a.m.
Quarter-final #2: Dalhousie (5th) vs. Acadia
(4th) 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov.
1
Semifinal #1: Lowest Remaining Seed vs. UNB
(1st), 11 a.m.
Semifinal #2: Highest Remaining Seed vs. Memorial
(2nd), 2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov.
2
Championship Game: Semifinal #1 Winner vs.
Semifinal #2 Winner, 2 p.m.
*Note: All games of the championship will be available via webcast, live at www.AUStv.ca.
Final AUS women’s soccer standings:
www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/wsoc/2014-15/standings
The Atlantic University Sport conference receives one berth at the 2014 CIS women’s soccer championship, hosted by Laval University, November 6-9, 2014.
The AUS champion will be the lone team to qualify for this year’s national championship.
For more information on the 2014 CIS women’s soccer championship, please visit the official website at: english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wsoc/index.