The TRU WolfPack women’s soccer won its Thursday game at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s soccer championship in Charlottetown, and still has a chance to win national bronze.
The WolfPack opened the eight-team tournament with a 4-0 quarterfinal loss to the Ahuntsix Indiennes of Montreal on Wednesday, knocking it into the consolation draw. TRU responded with a 1-0 victory over the Atlantic-champion Mount Saint Vincent Mystics on Thursday.
If they want to win bronze medals, the B.C. champions will have to win their next two games — they are to take on the Quebec-champion Garneau Elans in a consolation semifinal Friday. A victory would move the WolfPack into the consolation final, which will determine the bronze-medal winner.
The WolfPack was shaky and tired in Wednesday’s opener, the result of travelling cross-country and playing an early-morning game. TRU got its legs going better in the second game, and fifth-year midfielder Abbey McAuley scored the game-winner, in the 58th minute. McAuley converted a pass from her sister, Chloe, and put it past the MSVU goalkeeper.
Emily Edmundson posted the shutout, although the WolfPack outshot its opponents 15-3, and rookie Kelsey Martin was TRU’s player of the game.
TRU and Garneau will play at 3 p.m., Atlantic time (11 a.m., Pacific). The Alberta-champion NAIT Ooks will play Ontario’s Humber Hawks in another consolation semifinal — the winners of those games will play in Saturday’s bronze-medal game.
The Elans, ranked No. 1 to start the tournament and the two-time defending champions, were stunned in a semifinal by the Concordia Thunder of Edmonton, which won 1-0 in a shootout.
Concordia will take on the Indiennes in Saturday’s final. Ahuntsic beat the Ooks 2-1 in a semifinal yesterday.
Interestingly, the final will feature two wild-card teams — this is the first year the tournament has allowed provincial runners-up. Ahuntsic was second in Quebec, while Concordia was second in Alberta.
The Thunder was ranked fifth before the tournament; Ahuntsic was ranked sixth.
