VICTORIA, B.C. – The second seed from the pacific in the University of Victoria women's soccer team defeated the third seed from the prairie, University of Saskatchewan, 1-0, Oct. 26 at Centennial Stadium.
 
"That game was really close. Credit to Saskatchewan. We knew how tough they were going to be, and they proved that in spades with how tough it was to break them down and their aggressiveness and physicality," noted Vikes head coach Tracy David. "I'm really proud of the team for getting the job done, and now we're on to the next part of the journey."
 
The Vikes controlled possession for much of the first half, keeping the ball inside Saskatchewan's defending half. Saskatchewan fired off a pair of consecutive shots in the 12th minute, with Alyssa D'Agnone's initial shot being blocked by the Vikes defender, but was quickly recovered by Nicole Burnett, who's light chip shot didn't have enough distance and was saved by Victoria goalkeeper Kayley Lidstone.
 
Sophie Fingarson nearly got the Vikes on the board in the 31st minute, receiving the ball and immediately firing off her shot from inside the box. However, Anna Oliver was able to get a foot on the shot to redirect it just wide of the goal and keep the game scoreless through the end of the first half.
 
Victoria came out of the second half firing, putting together a series of shots on target in the 50th and 51st minutes, forcing Saskatchewan keeper Kalin Roberts to make challenging saves to keep the game scoreless.
 
Amou Madol took advantage of an open look from just outside the box in the 57th minute to try and get the Huskies on the board, but Lidstone was able to get in front of the ball for the save.
 
Both sides continue to battle as time wound down in the second half, but the Vikes would record the game-winner in the 74th minute. A save from Roberts went straight out of bounds, giving a corner kick to Victoria. Ruby Nicholas served the ball right to the head of Sophie Fingarson, who knocked it to the back of the net for the 1-0 Vikes lead, which would hold until the final whistle.
 
In all, the Vikes out-shot Saskatchewan 17-6, and 8-6 in shots on goal. Roberts recorded seven saves in goal for the Huskies, while Lidstone tallied three saves for Victoria.
 
"I thought it was great battle between two tough teams," said Huskies head coach Jerson Barandica-Hamilton. "I loved the level of competition and intensity our team showed, but I think we needed to be a little bit more composed in our possession and decisions. We played a bit too rushed, and I think that was the difference. We've been on the winning side and now we're on the losing side, so we just to have learn and keep getting better."
 
Victoria managed to flip the script on the Huskies from one season ago, in which Saskatchewan defeated the Vikes in the bronze medal game of the Canada West playoffs.