The 2024 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship officially kicked off at Capilano University Squamish yesterday, Nov. 6.
Four games were held on day one of the competition, which saw host team Capilano Blues knocked out of the fight for the top spot.
Game 1
Game one on Nov. 6 saw a 1-0 victory for les Nomades de Collège Montmorency over PACWEST champion Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners.
According to Brent Mutis of CapU, the VIU Mariners got off to a good start, with forward Jade Dillabough narrowly missing a breakaway chance as the teams got started.
VIU continued to dominate, earning two corner kicks in the 12th minute of the game, but couldn’t turn it into a goal as the Nomades' defenders held the fort.
The Quebec side kept the pressure on and was rewarded just before halftime when a free kick was redirected off the back of the head of Jade Béchette and beyond the outstretched hands of a diving Kaiden Thorpe, scoring les Nomades the only goal of the game.
VIU midfielder Asuka Okabe and Montmorency’s center-back Audrey Lefebvre were named players of the match.
Game 2
The second match-up saw the defending champion and number-one ranked team in the country, the Seneca Polytechnic Sting, take on the Brandon University Bobcats.
Seneca scored a goal in each half to claim a 2-0 win over Brandon.
The match was a stalemate until injury time of the first half when Seneca was awarded a free kick just outside the Brandon 18-yard box. Veteran forward Yoana Peralta Fernandez curled the ball just inside the post to score their first goal.
The Sting capitalized again in the second half as midfielder Martina Pannia drove a blast over the head of the Brandon keeper to put the game out of reach.
Brandon midfielder Mackenzie Boyes and Seneca forward Yoana Peralta Fernandez were named players of the match.
Seneca Sting advances to play Nomades de Collège Montmorency at 3 p.m. on Nov. 7. Brandon will play VIU in a 10 a.m. start.
Game 3
Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) Thunder scored a 1-0 victory over the Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics thanks to a penalty kick from defender Emma Derechey.
Both sides proved stout defensively, each unravelling the other side’s forays into scoring areas and played scoreless through regulation time, resulting in a five player penalty kick-off around dusk.
MSVU went first, but defender Kate Burton’s effort sailed over the bar.
“Each CUE player converted on their PK attempt, ending on Derechey’s blast to the upper part of the net,” Mutis said.
Players of the match were CUE midfielder Emma Ward and MSVU defender Leah Mombourquette.
The Thunder move on to face the winner of the Ahuntsic-Capilano game at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, while MSVU will play the loser of that game in a 12:30 p.m. kickoff.
Game 4
Les Aigles du Collège Ahuntsic dominated over host team Capilano University Blues in a 5-0 win during the last match-up of the day.
Midfielder Mathilde Gionet and forward Mégane Gagnon each scored a brace to lead Ahunstic to the win. The winning goal came off the foot of defender Clémence Dufort in the 11th minute.
“What looked to be a crossing service caused confusion for the Blues and ended up clearing the heads of all defenders and the keeper, landing in the back of the net,” Mutis said.
Gionet scored her first of the night shortly after, giving Ahuntsic a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Ahuntsic used their speed to expand on their advantage early in the second half with Gionet scoring her second goal followed by a goal in the run of play from Gagnon and then a penalty-kick goal from the second-year midfielder.
Players of the game were CapU midfielder Maya Smith and Ahuntsic forward Mégane Gagnon.
Ahuntsic advances to play Concordia-Edmonton on Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. while Capilano takes on MSVU with kickoff at 12:30 p.m.
The 2024 CCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship runs from Nov. 6 to 9 at Capilano University Squamish.
*Please note that these game reports were based on information from Brent Mutis of CapU.
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