Antigonish, NS – The U SPORTS No. 10 ranked Cape Breton Capers earned a 2-1 victory over the No. 8 ranked STFX X-Women Friday night in Homecoming action at STFX Stadium.
Grace Hannaford (Enfield, NS) scored the game winning goal in extra time to seal the win as the first place Capers improve to 7-1-0 on the season.
CBU avenged a loss to the same X-Women (5-3-0) squad who handed the Capers their first and only loss of the season last week as they played to a 3-1 victory.
The teams exchanged scoring opportunities in the first half as STFX's Brynn Jurus (Ancaster, ON) missed on a low shot wide from inside the 18-yard box, then the Capers Rebecca Lambke (Antigonish, NS) hit the cross bar directly off a corner kick.
The Capers set pieces proved advantageous as Alliyah Rowe (Kitchener, ON) scored the first goal of the game for the visiting team in the 32nd minute after a corner kick. X-Women keeper Christina Gentile (Laval, QC) got a hand on the ball off the kick, but the rebound came right to Rowe who deposited it in the net.
The X-Women replied five minutes later as Talia Morin (Ottawa, ON) lofted a free kick into the box and Jurus one touched it past Capers keeper Haley Kardass (Halifax, NS).
The 1-1 score held up until halftime.
In a fast paced second half, the Capers had consecutive scoring chances 20 minutes in but were denied by Gentile. Amelia Carlini (Ottawa, ON) lifted a shot on goal from 40 yards out and Gentile made an acrobatic save to deny her, then she followed up with another save in tight off Abby MacNeil (New Waterford, NS).
X-Women freshman forward Aidan Miller (Chilliwack, BC) subbed in late in the half and provided a spark to the X offense, generating a pair of consecutive scoring chances but was unable to solve Kardass.
Capers midfielder Senate Letsie (Maseru, Lesotho) nearly broke the tie in the 88th minute when she sprinted down the sideline with the ball then beat a pair of X-Women defenders and blasted a low shot at the net. Gentile dove and made a huge save, getting a hand on the ball.
Just when the STFX Homecoming fans thought the game would end in a tie, Hannaford gave the Capers the win as she blasted a high shot into the X net while in extra time, sealing the three points for CBU.
Subway Player of the Game honours went to Letsie of the Capers for her strong game play.
Morin was the player of the game for the X-Women.
Next on the AUS schedule sees the Capers travel to Charlottetown on Sunday for a 1:00 pm game against UPEI.
The X-Women will be back in action on Wednesday, October 19th when they travel to Halifax for a 5:00 pm game against Saint Mary's.
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Recap courtesy Krista McKenna, STFX Communications