VANCOUVER, BC – The Canada West Final Four in women's soccer kicked off on Thursday and the Saskatchewan Huskies were looking to head to the gold medal game, taking on the top ranked UBC Thunderbirds. A hard fought game against the defending Canada West champions ended in a 3-1 loss for the Saskatchewan Huskies, who will now play for Canada West Bronze. 
 
First half goals from Ava Alexander and Sophia Ferreira set UBC on their way, although they were briefly pegged back when Cheyenne Lehmann showed great anticipation to pounce on a loose passback to fire Saskatchewan level.
 
The game was still very much in the balance, but UBC sealed the deal with their third header off a set piece with five minutes of the match remaining, with Ferreira grabbing her second of the game to wrap up a deserving, but at times nervy, victory.
 
This year's Canada West Final Four got underway with a fast-paced game that saw UBC come out of the blocks quickly, putting Saskatchewan on the defensive from the early going.
 
Nisa Reehal had the first chance of the game, but her shot was deflected wide.
 
UBC got the early breakthrough they were looking for moments later when Alexander superbly got onto the end of Taiya Dennehy's corner, rising unchallenged to head home the opener.
 
Saskatchewan settled and got themselves back onto level terms in the 19th minute when Lehmann pounced on a short passback to round Dakota Beckett and fire the Huskies back level.
 
The parity was to last for just five minutes before the Thunderbirds retook the lead and once again it came from a set piece. Sophie Damian sent a long free kick into the box, falling to Ferreira at the back of a crowd of players just inside the box and the Portuguese U23 international powerfully headed past Kalin Roberts.
 
A looping Jayda Thompson effort, that didn't miss by much, and a Reehal effort that was saved at point blank range by Roberts, almost saw UBC increase their lead before the half.
 
Roberts produced another big save for Saskatchewan to tip away a looping Tolnai effort in the 54th minute as UBC tried to give themselves a two goal cushion.
 
Saskatchewan enjoyed a large spell of the second half possession without carving out any clear cut goal scoring chances and UBC finally put the game to bed in the 85th minute and it was another set piece that did the damage, with Ferreira rising to head home an Aislin Phillips free kick.
 
NEXT UP:
Saskatchewan awaits their opponent for the Canada West Bronze Medal game, scheduled to take place at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver on Friday at 5:00 PM. Fans can watch the live stream at CanadaWest.TV.
 
An Evening with Kate Beirness
On Tuesday, November 7, the University of Saskatchewan and Huskie Athletics are hosting an evening with Kate Beirness. This momentous event is in support of Huskie women's athletic scholarships towards the development of future leaders. Tickets are $125 and include appetizers, cocktails, and the program with Kate. Get your tickets now at HuskieTickets.com.