A Season Hanging in the Balance
The women battled hard on Thanksgiving Monday in Coquitlam to tie the Douglas Royals 1-1 to set up what is sure to be a photo-finish for the Eagles as they enter their last weekend of BCCAA play.
Taylor Sarchet scored the tying goal in the second half and the Eagles defense, led by captain Brittany McNeill, shut down the Douglas strikers for the remainder of the game to earn the single point.
By Michela Fiorido [Sports Bureau Chief]
The women battled hard on Thanksgiving Monday in Coquitlam to tie the Douglas Royals 1-1 to set up what is sure to be a photo-finish for the Eagles as they enter their last weekend of BCCAA play.
Taylor Sarchet scored the tying goal in the second half and the Eagles defense, led by captain Brittany McNeill, shut down the Douglas strikers for the remainder of the game to earn the single point.
This point was crucial, as it places the Eagles just three points back of UNBC who is currently holding the last playoff spot.
Kwantlen happens to have two games at hand, as well as the tie-breaker should they tie UNBC in the standings. The women’s playoff hopes hang in the balance this upcoming weekend as they have to win at least one game out of their final two.
It’s just typical that the final two teams however, are among the strongest competitors in the league.
On one side there’s the TRU Wolfpack. Always provincial title contenders, they are experienced, they know how to win, and they find themselves at the top of the league standings year after year.
On the other side, there’s the UBC- Okanagan Heat. They are the big surprise this season, as they are usually way out of playoff contention and usually one of the last place teams.
This year, however, they find themselves second place in Pool A and have already beaten the Eagles once before in the beginning of the season.
The Eagle’s have their own advantages however. They will be playing at home for these games whereas UBCO and TRU will have to travel all the way by bus from Kelowna and Kamloops respectively.
Moreover, Kwantlen is no stranger to critical, season-ending, pressure-packed games. After having a less than impressive start, Kwantlen has turned it around and has only lost one game in their last five to surge towards the playoffs.
Let’s hope the Eagles can pull this one off because the momentum of making the playoffs is sure to propel them to contend for the provincial title.
In other sports news, the men lost 9-0, and again, that is not a typo. A published score like that shouldn’t even be questioned now with the way their season has been going.
Next Games: Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18 @ Newton Athletic Park @12:00pm against the TRU Wolfpack and the UBCO Heat.
