CAPERS lose at home 3-1

SYDNEY - Sparked by three unanswered second-half goals, the STFX X-Women (4-3-0) scored a 3-1 road victory over the Cape Breton University Capers (5-1-0) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) soccer action on Thursday evening. 

In the opening minutes of the second half, the White and Blue notched the equalizer off a corner kick from Talia Morin (Ottawa, ON). After Emma Steen (Stittsville, ON) hit the cross bar with a header, her sister - Abby - dove between a pair of Caper defenders and poked home the rebound to make it 1-1. In the 82nd minute, keyed by a nifty pass from veteran forward Amanda Smith (Ottawa, ON) found Caitlin Crichton (Ottawa, ON), who deposited a low shot inside the right goal post behind Haley Kardas (Halifax, NS) to make it 2-1 for the X-Women. Three minutes later, Hailey Burk (London, ON) - off a free-kick opportunity - left-footed a shot behind Kardas to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage.

In extra time in the opening half, off a wild scramble from a Paige Allaby (Saint John, NB) corner kick, the Capers took a 1-0 edge.Midfielder Brynn Jurus (Ancaster, ON) made goal line saves on a pair of headers before Smith made a third one. On the fourth attempt, midfielder Amelia Carlini (Ottawa, ON) was able to put header underneath cross bar. 

In a tightly played first half, the Capers carried a slight edge, although both teams displayed their talents not only defensively but also offensively. Veteran X-Women keeper Christina Gentile (Laval, QC) starred for most of the opening stanza, making a handful of key stops, while showing her stout play while defending corner kicks. Smith and Lauren Reid (Kanata, ON) were constant threats for the White and Blue but they could not shake their Caper defenders for any clear-cut opportunities. 

Kardas made five saves, with Gentile finishing with seven stops for the victory. 

The Capers will return action on Saturday, Oct. 8 when they travel to Sackville, NB, for a 1 p.m. match-up with the Mount Allison Mounties, while the X-Women will next take the pitch on Friday, Oct. 14, when they host the Capers at STFX Stadium in Antigonish at 5 p.m.