The University of the Fraser Valley women's soccer team came into Saturday's action vs. the UBC Okanagan Heat with a playoff berth already secure, knowing that at least a draw would be enough to secure third place in the West Division.
They did that one better, topping the Heat 1-0 in Kelowna on
Hannah Gamble's late goal.
UFV's sixth straight victory boosted its record to 6-4-2; the Heat (2-7-3) had been eliminated from playoff contention based on
the Cascades' 1-0 win on Friday.
The Cascades will now hit the road for the first round of the Canada West post-season. They'll face the first-place finisher from the Central Division – either the Calgary Dinos or MacEwan Griffins, who wrap up the regular season on Sunday with a head-to-head match-up to decide the division crown.
"It's nice to finish off strong," UFV head coach
Niko Marcina said afterward. "The game itself likely wasn't the prettiest performance, but the fact we were able to compete right up to the final minute was a positive moment for our program. At the end of the day, we're glad we've got our sixth win in a row."
The Cascades had several chances to open the scoring in the first half, including a trio of good looks for
Harneet Dadrao, who was making life difficult for the Heat's defenders. But on all three occasions – including a breakaway in the 15th minute – UBCO keeper Molly Race was up to the task.
At the other end of the pitch, Cascades keeper
Andrea Perkovic was tested on a couple of occasions – most notably, she dove to her right to deny Abigail Taneda in the 39th.
The Heat gained traction as the second half wore on, but UFV kept them mostly to the outside. In the 76th, UBCO's Alyssa Scott sprinted into the box from the right, but her rising blast found the side netting.
In the 85th, a moment of brilliance from Gamble was the difference.
Jaspreet Deol dribbled through the midfield and sent a pass toward Dadrao, who back-heeled it on to an on-rushing Gamble further out to the left. Gamble's first-touch strike was pure, settling inside the far post beyond Race's outstretched arms for her team-leading third goal of the season.
"Hannah is getting a lot of confidence for us in the attacking half, and she's building off the athleticism she can provide for our team," Marcina said. "We tried to play her not as much today, because she gave us 94 minutes of her entire effort yesterday. But when she came in, as per normal, she provided a positive presence for our team."
Perkovic finished with three saves for her second clean sheet of the campaign.
Finishing third in the West marks the Cascades' highest CW divisional finish since 2016, when they finished second in the Pacific Division.
