Capers blank Laurier, advance to fifth-place match

November 13, 2015

VANCOUVER (CIS) – In the first of two consolation round matches on Friday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium, the Cape Breton Capers earned a 2-0 win over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks to earn a shot at a fifth-place finish in the 2015 CIS women's soccer championship.

Championship website: CLICK HERE

The Capers got a terrific performance from goalkeeper Lysianne Trottier, who made five saves to pick up the clean sheet. On the offensive end, Cape Breton got some timely finishes from defender Kara Mackinnon and forward Keona Simmonds, who each bagged a goal to secure the result for the Capers.

While he lauded the performance of his players, Cape Breton head coach Stephen Timmons also noted the structural improvement of his squad, which gave his side the ability to attack Laurier's defense with pace in transition.

"Well I think we were strong in the game plan where we just didn't want to, you know, chase the ball," remarked Timmons. "We wanted to stay compact in defense and break on the counter. That's what we did, and we got some speed up front, so we thought we had some quality chances in behind the backs."

The 15 minute mark saw one of the best scoring chances of the first half, as Capers fourth-year forward Chelsea Currie did well to break down the left wing and let a shot go from inside the box. Laurier goalkeeper Ashley Almeida made a great stop, and held on to the ball, as Simmonds was bearing down on her, looking for a rebound.

In the 23^rd minute, the Golden Hawks got a golden opportunity of their own, as defender Tierney Dunham charged forward and got a great chance near the top of the Cape Breton box, but Trottier played it aggressively, sliding forward and stealing the ball from Dunham, keeping the game scoreless.

Forty minutes into the contest, Katie Bishop got creative on a Golden Hawks free kick from 25 yards out. The fourth-year midfielder delivered a great ball from the right sideline, but instead of lobbing the ball up for a teammate, fired right at Trottier's goal. However, the Capers keeper recognized the direct attempt quickly and got in position to make the stop.

Just before the first half expired, the Capers finally broke the scoreless frame with their first goal of the tournament. Off a terrific corner from Tamara Brown, MacKinnon did well to time her jump and make contact, heading the ball past Almeida.

The Capers doubled their lead 16 minutes into the second half, as Currie raced down the left wing and centered for Simmonds, who deftly one-touched the ball over the outstretched arms of backup Cape Breton keeper Stacey Simmons, who had subbed on for Almeida at the intermission.

Abby Zamec nearly got Wilfrid Laurier back within one just four minutes later, as she curled deep in the Cape Breton end to create space for herself, before letting go of a bullet that Trottier of which barely got a piece

The 85^th minute featured another glorious chance for Laurier to break Trottier's clean sheet bid, as Julie Karn got a clean look at the Capers goalkeeper, but the second-year midfielder missed high from in close.

Following the contest, Laurier head coach Barry MacLean admitted that, on an afternoon where his side finished with 13 shots and five on target, the all-important final touch just eluded them.

"I thought today we passed the ball well in the first half," noted MacLean. "You know, defensively we gave them too many chances, but overall I thought we couldn't correct passes well and we weren't really ruthless in the final part of the field where we needed to score a goal. We didn't have that killer instinct."

With the win, Cape Breton will face the winner of the second consolation match between the Queen's Gales and the Calgary Dinos in a battle for fifth place, which will take place tomorrow, November 14, at 11:00 a.m. PST.

ONLINE STATS: CLICK HERE

SCORING SUMMARY:

CBU 1-1: 2
WLU: 0-0 0

First Half

1. CBU Kara MacKinnon (1), (Tamara Brown) 45^th minute

Second Half

2. CBU Keona Simmonds (1), (Chelsea Currie) 61^st

Goalkeepers:
CBU: Lysianne Trottier (W, 0 GA, 5 saves, 90:00, 1-1)

WLU: Ashley Almeida (L, 1 GA, 3 saves, 45:00, 0-2)

WLU: Stacey Simmons (1 GA, 4 saves, 45:00)

Team Stats
Shots: CBU 14, WLU 13

Shots on net: CBU 9, WLU 5
Corners: CBU 5, WLU 3
Offsides: CBU 4, WLU 2
Fouls: CBU 7, WLU 7
Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Players of the game:

CBU: Lysianne Trottier

WLU: Julie Karn

SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times PACIFIC TIME)

Thursday, Nov. 12
11:00 Quarter-final 1: Laval 1, Wilfrid Laurier 0
13:30 Quarter-final 2: Trinity Western 2, Cape Breton 0

16:30 Quarter-final 3: Sherbrooke 2, Queen's 1 (4-3 kicks)

19:00 Quarter-final 4: UBC 1, Calgary 0

Friday, Nov. 13

11:00 Consolation 1: Cape Breton 2, Wilfrid Laurier 0

13:30 Consolation 2: Queen's vs. Calgary (CIS-SIC.tv)

Saturday, Nov. 14

11:00 5^th-place game: Cape Breton vs. TBD (CIS-SIC.tv)

13:30 Semifinal 1: Laval vs. Trinity Western (CIS-SIC.tv)

16:30 Semifinal 2: Sherbrooke vs. UBC (CIS-SIC.tv)

Sunday, Nov. 15

13:30 Bronze medal (CIS-SIC.tv)

16:30 Championship final (CIS-SIC.tv)

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport

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