QUEBEC CITY – The Trinity Western University women's soccer team's quest for a record third straight CIS women's soccer championship was denied Sunday afternoon by a determined Université Laval squad. The tournament host Laval Rouge et Or made a big statement with a dominant 5-0 gold-medal performance over the defending two-time titlist Trinity Western Spartans at Stade TELUS-Université Laval Stadium, becoming the first Quebec program to claim the Gladys Bean Memorial Trophy.
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Before an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 2,200 people, Laval also became the third team to win a national championship on home turf, after Trinity Western in 2008 and the Cape Breton Capers in 2007. The silver medal is the Spartans sixth championship medal, five gold, and the berth in the final was the third straight for TWU.
Laval's best result before Sunday was a bronze medal in 2002. As for Trinity Western, they missed the chance to become the first three-peat champions as well as earn a sixth national championship after becoming only the third team in CIS history to play in three straight CIS championship matches. Joining Queens University (2010-2012) and Dalhousie University (1993-1995).
Already up 2-0 at the halftime break, the Rouge et Or added three second-half goals, including the second and third of the game by tournament and title match MVP, striker Joëlle Gosselin of Quebec City.
Spartans coach Graham Roxburgh gave credit to Laval for its play. "It's a tough result, you got to give credit to Laval, they were excellent. We didn't play very well today and it's probably the part that we are most disappointed with. We didn't give them a game. They were clinical and we knew that if we didn't defend well, they had weapons and those weapons showed today."
"Twenty years, it's a long time, but the feeling is incredible," said Laval coach Helder Duarte, who has been at the helm since the program made its CIS debut in 1995. "To win in that fashion, against the best team in the country, it's fantastic. The girls peaked at the right time, they were extraordinary. I knew we were capable of playing well, but I also knew there were a lot of emotions that could play against us. We did everything we thought we had to do to get them ready, and it worked."
The Rouge et Or were not intimidated and came to play against the two-time defending champions Spartans. Laval was able to capitalize early in just the 14th minute. Gosselin was sent in alone, on a superb pass from Roy Arielle-Petitclerc (St. Nicolas, Que.), and beat Spartans keeper Christina Oliverio (Calgary) low into the corner.
The two teams then exchanged chances ending with a great Marie-Joëlle Vandal (Longueuil, Que.) double-save in the 39th minute. Vandal robbed Spartans' Alessandra Oliverio (Calgary) and then Seina Kashima (Burnaby, B.C.) on the rebound, keeping Trinity Western off the board and momentum in Laval's favour.
The Spartans missed opportunities would shortly come back to haunt them as Laval doubled their lead four minutes later. Midfielder Gabrielle Lapointe (Montmagny, Que.) picked up the loose ball and slotted it past a diving Oliverio.
In the second half, Gosselin made sure to trample any possibility of a Spartans comeback in spectacular fashion. The rookie striker scored two, almost identical, 30 yard strikes in the 54th and 79th minutes.
Laval capped off the dominate performance scoring their fifth of the game when striker Melissande Guy (Quebec City), playing in her final university game, intercepted a pass and proceeded to finish into the corner.
The 2015 CIS championship will be held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
SCORING SUMMARY:
LAV 2-3: 5
TWU 0-0: 0
First Half
1. LAV Joëlle Gosselin (2) Arielle Roy-P.), 14th
2. LAV Gabrielle Lapointe (1) (Cynthia Turcotte), 44th
Second Half
3. Joëlle Gosselin (3) (Alexandra Brunelle), 54th
4. Joëlle Gosselin (4), 79th
5. Melissande Guy (2), 84th
Goalkeepers:
LAV: Marie-Joelle Vandal (W, 0 GA, 7 saves, 90:00, 3-0)
TWU: Christina Oliverio (L, 5 GA, 2 saves, 90:00, 2-1)
Team Stats
Shots: LAV 14, TWU 12
Shots on net: LAV 7, TWU 7
Corners: LAV 3, TWU 3
Offsides: LAV 2, TWU 2
Fouls: LAV 5, TWU 7
Yellow cards: None
Red cards: None
Players of the game:
LAV: Joëlle Gosselin
TWU: Vanessa Kovacs
CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
Gunn Baldursson Memorial Award (Tournament MVP): Joëlle Gosselin - Laval
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Memorial University Sea-Hawks
Tournament All-Stars:
Goalkeeper: Marie-Joëlle Vandal – Laval
Defence: Mélissa Roy – Laval
Defence: Meaghan Ramsden – Ottawa
Defence: Jennifer Castillo – TWU
Midfield: Kara Delwo – Fraser Valley
Midfield: Vanessa Kovacs – TWU
Midfield: Alexandra Brunelle – Laval
Midfield: Léa Chastenay-Joseph – Laval
Forward: Joëlle Gosselin – Laval
Forward: Seina Kashima – TWU
Forward: Pilar Khoury – Ottawa
SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Thursday, Nov. 6
11:00 Quarter-final 1: Ottawa 2, Montreal 0
13:30 Quarter-final 2: Trinity Western 4, UOIT 1
16:00 Quarter-final 3: Fraser Valley 2, Memorial 1 (OT)
18:30 Quarter-final 4: Laval 3, Western 2 (4-3 PK)
Friday, Nov. 7
11:00 Consolation 1: Montreal 1, UOIT 0 (4-3 PK)
13:30 Consolation 2: Western 2, Memorial 0
16:00 Semifinal 1: Trinity Western 3, Ottawa 0
18:30 Semifinal 2: Laval 3, Fraser Valley 0
Saturday, Nov. 8
11:00 5th-place game: Western 2, Montreal 0
Sunday, Nov. 9
11:30 Bronze medal: Ottawa 2, Fraser Valley 1
14:00 Championship final: Laval 5, Trinity Western 0
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, over 11,500 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships.
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