Fourth-year Lana Finley eyes up the pitch for the pass. (Photo by Greystoke Photography)
Hoping to avenge their 0-2 loss at home on September 12th, the Heat were ultimately downed by Pacific-leading Cascades 3-0 Saturday.
Women’s Soccer (Canada West Conference play)
Saturday, September 27th, 2014 BOX SCORE | SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Abbotsford Senior Secondary Turf Field, Abbotsford, B.C.
University of Fraser Valley Cascades (0-7-1) vs. UBC Okanagan Heat (0-5-3)
| Goals by period | 1 | 2 | Tot |
| UBC Okanagan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UFV Cascades | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| SCORING SUMMARY | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st | ||
| (no scoring) | ||
| 2nd | ||
| UFV | 48:25 | Karalyn Delwo (Shelby Beck) |
| UFV | 55:42 | Alexis Cattermole (Karlee Pederson) |
| UFV | 58:26 | Monika Levarsky (Shelby Beck) |
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - To cap off their second road trip of the season, the UBC Okanagan Heat women’s soccer squad tried to exact revenge on the pacific division-leading Fraser Valley Cascades for the season split, but instead struggled through the second half of the teams’ Saturday night matchup for a 3-0 result in favor of the hosts.
Fourth-year defender Hayley Carlson (Red Deer, AB) was UBC Okanagan’s Player of the Game, doing everything she could on the defensive end to stymie the Cascades’ strikers. Carlson played another full ninety minutes in her eighth start this season.
The Heat defense could stem the relentless Cascades attack for the full 90 minutes, as their 18-6 shot margin would eventually add up to three goals, including Monika Levarsky’s fifth of the season.
Despite a solid performance once again in the first half of the match, the Heat went on to struggle in the final forty-five minute frame, particularly over a six-minute span that saw the Cascades capitalize on a defensive lull on the part of the Heat for the quick 3-0 margin.
"We work really hard in the first half to keep teams off the score board and there seems to be a point when our legs start to go," Paterson surmised, hinting that fatigue might be factor for the team's second-half struggles. "We will be taking a step back and reviewing our lineup to make sure we are utilizing our players to their strengths whether it is for five minutes or ninety."
Tightened up and regrouped for the final thirty minutes, the Heat could not find the right offensive touch and would go scoreless the fourth time this season.
In defeat and continuing their search for that elusive first win in Canada West, the young Heat squad remains spirited and hard working to keep improving every day.
“The good thing is that our players are always striving to compete and never, never give up,” Heat head coach Claire Paterson emphasized following the match. She acknowledged her team’s continued struggles in the second halves of games and also emphasized the team’s commitment to working on that aspect of their game. “We have done well in [the] first half most matches but we need to sort out the lull in the second half.”
Paterson would go on to add that though Carlson was the team's Player of the Game, both third-year Caitlin Murchie (Calgary, AB) and first-year Cassie Bratton (Calgary, AB) b0th came in off the bench to give impactful minutes and a bit of a spark in the final fifteen of the match.
Fifth-year keeper Christine Tallon (Kamloops, BC) put in great work in the first half and would get her hands on a couple good attempts by UFV late in the second. She would wind up with eight saves on the night, while her UFV counterpart in Kayla Klim would pick up three.
The Heat wrap up their weekend with an 0-5-3 season record while the Cascades improve to 7-1.
On the road again next weekend the Heat prepare to head to Victoria next Friday and Vancouver on Saturday for rematches with another pair of Canada West powerhouses in the UVIC Vikes and the UBC Thunderbirds, respectively. Games kick off at 5 p.m.
Watch the action live at canadawest.tv