CONSOLATION #2: 2009 CIS women’s soccer championship: Host Blues beat TO rivals, stay alive

By University of Toronto sports information office

TORONTO (CIS) – Nicole Burling’s goal in the 71st minute was all the host University of Toronto Varsity Blues needed as they upset the OUA champion and cross-town rival York Lions 1-0 in Friday’s second consolation semifinal at the CIS women’s soccer championship at Varsity Centre.

The win is the first in Varsity Blues history at the national tournament, as Toronto is making its first-ever appearance. The Blues advance to Saturday’s consolation final at 6:30 p.m. where they will face the UPEI Panthers, who defeated the StFX X-Women 1-0 in the first consolation match of the afternoon. The game will be webcast live through SSN Canada (www.ssncanada.ca or www.cis-sic.ca).

“I thought we played 90 minutes of an excellent, consistent game of soccer,” said second-year Varsity Blues head coach Eva Havaris. “It was a great effort for the team. We are [going] after fifth place which is very credible for us and we’re very exciting about it.”

The Lions’ season comes to an end with a disappointing 0-2 record at their fourth CIS appearance in the last five years. The Lions were the 2007 CIS silver medalists.

U of T came out strong in the first ten minutes and was rewarded with a pair of corner kicks, but was unable to convert either into a good scoring chance.

Fourth-year Lions striker Samantha Browne (Mississauga, Ont.) began York’s counter-attack with a long shot that landed in the arms of Blues goalkeeper Mary Anne Barnes (Scarborough, Ont.).

Toronto native and Lions player of the game, Nicole Markowitz, began to pressure U of T’s defenders with fast breaks down the left side, however, the Blues defensive line of Mel Bowen (West Vancouver, B.C.), Heidi Borgmann (Mississauga, Ont.) and Nav Deol (Mississauga, Ont.) was able to keep the ball to the outside of the 18-yard box.

Lions midfielder Nicole Campbell (Scarborough, Ont.) put forth a solid two-way effort, making some big defensive stops and driving the rush down the field to pressure Barnes between the pipes.

Burling (Scarborough, Ont.) looked as though she would open the scoring in the dying minutes of the first half as she sent a flurry of shots at the York net. First-year goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini (Newmarket, Ont.) and several Lions defenders were forced to dive to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line.

The Lions came out roaring in the second half with good ball control and pressure in Toronto’s end, setting up Campbell with a couple of good scoring chances midway through the frame.

However it was Toronto that capitalized on their late opportunity and with less than 20 minutes remaining in regulation, third-year defender Jackie Miklovich (Aurora, Ont.) sent a pass through to Burling who tipped it out of the air and shot it past a diving Fiorini for the game winner.

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: 0-1: 1
York: 0-0: 0

First Half
No scoring

Second Half
1.TOR: Nicole Burling (1) (Miklovich), 71st

Goalkeepers:
Toronto: Mary Anne Barnes (W, 0 GA, 5 saves, 90:00 mins)
York: Sarah Fiorini (L, 1 GA, 5 saves, 90:00 mins)

Shots: Toronto 10, York 8
Shots on Net: Toronto 5, York 5
Corners: Toronto 2, York 3
Offsides: Toronto 0, York 7
Fouls: Toronto 7, York 7
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None

Players of the game:
Toronto: Nav Deol
York: Nicole Markowitz

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, Nov. 12
Quarter-final 1: Queen’s 1, StFX 0 (OT)
Quarter-final 2: Trinity Western 1, UPEI 0
Quarter-final 3: UBC 2, York 1 (OT)
Quarter-final 4: Montreal 3, Toronto 2

Friday, Nov. 13
Consolation 1: UPEI 1, StFX 0
Consolation 2: Toronto 1, York 0

Saturday, Nov. 14
13:30 Semifinal 1: Queen’s vs. Trinity Western (SSN Canada webcast)
15:30 Semifinal 2: UBC vs. Montreal (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Consolation final (5th-place match): UPEI vs. Toronto (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, Nov. 15
14:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
17:00 Championship final (SSN Canada webcast)

- CIS -