Anna Dunn and the Trinity Western Spartans dealt the University of the Fraser Valley women's soccer team a heartbreaking 1-0 loss on Saturday evening in Langley.
Dunn's goal in the 86th minute was the difference, nullifying a heroic defensive performance led by UFV goalkeeper
Joven Sandhu which had, to that late juncture, held the No. 2-ranked team in the nation off the scoreboard.
Ultimately, it was TWU improving to 6-0-0 while dropping the Cascades to 0-2-2.
"I can't say enough about our team's work rate, work ethic and desire to compete today," UFV head coach
Niko Marcina said afterward. "The players wanted so badly to compete from start to finish. We put on a variety of players to fill some holes, and they did an amazing job."
Coming off a
5-0 loss on Friday in the first game of the weekend set, the Cascades turned in a steadier defensive performance in the first half on Saturday, with the lone quality scoring chance for TWU coming as Maddie Melnychuk running in alone on Sandhu after a UFV defender slipped on the grass. Sandhu, though, came up with an outstanding save diving to her right.
Sandhu came up large again in the 73rd, as Dunn was sprung on a breakaway, but the UFV keeper again came up with a spectacular stop.
The Cascades began to earn more of the possession as the second half wore on, earning a series of corner kicks.
Amy Connorton's in-swinging effort in the 80th came screaming in directly on goal, requiring a sure-handed stop from TWU's Hannah Miller.
The Spartans, though, broke through in the dying minutes. Grace Van den brink lobbed a long ball ahead for Dunn, who fended off Cascades defender
Jessica Fennell and slotted a shot past Sandhu into the bottom right corner.
Afterward, Marcina noted that the Cascades had a reconfigured lineup due to a handful of key injuries, yet the play of the back three (Fennell,
Taylor Nekic and
Alanna Sydenham) and midfielders
Brittany Costa and
Avery Tulloch, among others, helped steady the squad throughout.
Sandhu's performance merited special praise, as well.
"She was very focused and very dialed in, and it paid off," Marcina said of his fourth-year keeper. "She stood on her head on two breakaways, which allowed us to gain some momentum and confidence. She's determined to prove to her teammates that they can trust her, and she's done such a great job."
The UFV soccer teams are back in action next weekend at home, hosting the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday (women 5:30 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Sunday (women 1 p.m., men 3 p.m.) at Rotary Stadium.
