PACWEST Teams Sweep Day 1

Recaps courtesy of the CCCAA

The PACWEST swept at the CCAA Nationals on Wednesday. The Douglas Royals women's team beat NAIT from Edmonton 1-0 in Nova Scotia.

Then the men took centre stage in Nanaimo.  The Royals defeated the Algonquin Thunder in penalty kicks 2-1, then the host VIU Mariners got by Indiens d’Ahuntsic 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick in the 90th minute.

Douglas Royals – 2* vs. Algonquin Thunder – 1 *(4-2 PKs)

Two diving stops by Ryo Mizuno during Penalty Kicks led the Douglas Royals over the Algonquin Thunder in the second quarter-final match.

Douglas earned a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the 65th minute, and Eric Ray opened the scoring with a laser to the top corner of Algonquin’s net. The Thunder responded just eight minutes later when a Federico Leal free kick found the net over the out stretched hands of Mizuno.

Nothing else was solved in the 90 minutes, so the teams went to penalty kicks where they exchanged goals on the first four shots. But as the Royals kept scoring the Thunder were shut down by Mizuno. His two perfectly timed saves secured the win for the Royals and a berth to the semi-finals.

Douglas Royals Player of the Game: Quinn Dawson

VIU Mariners – 1 vs. Indiens d’Ahuntsic – 0

The VIU Mariners got a 90th minute penalty kick goal from Shun Takano to knock off the Indiens d’Ahuntsic in the final quarter-final match at the CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championships.

A highly competitive and close contest looked destined for penalty kicks and the second shoot-out finish of the day. However in the final minute, Jordan Degraaf cut around a pair of defenders and ended up getting taken down, leading to the Takano heroics.

Takano set the ball on the penalty mark and then turned his back to the keeper. After an extended pause, he turned and nailed a shot inside the left post to send the large Nanaimo crowd into a frenzy.

Ahuntsic continued to push until the end, which included a remarkable chance to tie the game just minutes later in stoppage time. A 28 yard free kick was drilled off the left post, just moments before the final whistle sounded.

The Mariners advance to take on the NAIT Ooks in one semi-final matchup while the Douglas Royals will face the Keyano Huskies in the other. The other four teams will compete for a chance to contend for the bronze medals, with the Holland Hurricanes taking on the Algonquin Thunder and the Durham Lords battling the Indiens d’Auntsic.

VIU Mariners Player of the Game: Jordan Degraaf

WOMEN

Douglas Royals 1, NAIT Ooks 0

The early stages of the game were choppy with multiple throw-ins by both teams. Neither team was able to establish a strong flow as they tried to get control of the ball. As the teams became more comfortable, the game picked up speed with both teams making strong attempts at connections for goals. Douglas’ Sam Kell and NAIT’s Alana Mawhinney made names for themselves in the first half with strong positioning and quick movements. Added time did not result in any goals scored.

The first 10 minutes of the second half had both teams exploding with a newfound, excited energy. NAIT’s Kayleigh Moan and Kassy Jajczay dazzled spectators by providing two great scoring chances. Martina Pettenon of the Royals powered through however and scored the first and only goal of the game.

The players of the game from Douglas was Martina Pettenon