BURNABY, B.C. – It came down to the final game of the season and the game even featured a pair of overtimes. With neither team able to score into the second overtime, the Western Oregon University women's soccer team tried to press for a goal in overtime to get the win they needed to advance to the GNAC Championships, but Simon Fraser was able to convert on a penalty kick to claim the 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory on Saturday at the SFU Stadium.
WOU (5-10-3, 4-7-3 GNAC) knew that entering the game today that they had to win in order to advance. If the teams ended in a draw, Simon Fraser (5-10-2, 6-7-1 GNAC) would still advance by being one-point ahead of the Wolves in the conference standings.
There were a lot of shots by both teams as they combined for 38 shots and 18 on goal. SFU held the 25-13 edge in overall shots and 12-6 on target. Olivia Holdenried posted a new season-high in saves coming away with 11. WOU held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks and there were 14 fouls whistled in the game, nine called on the Wolves.
WOU had several players that played all 105 minutes in Holdenried, Jada Foster, Erika Gonzalez Moreno, Hannah Rispler, Piper Matson, Lilly Nowatzke, Liz Parker and Jenna Efraimson. Chloe Smith played 89 minutes and Camille Darland came off the bench to play 97 minutes.
Right away, SFU put pressure on the Wolves getting a shot on goal just over a minute in that was saved by Holdenried. Following a couple of corner kicks, a shot hit the post, went wide and then back-to-back saves by Holdenried kept the game scoreless just four minutes in.
WOU picked up their first chance in the ninth minute when Efraimson's shot was saved by Nicole Anderson. The Wolves nearly broke through in the 37th minute. Matson ripped a shot that hit the post and then as the ball kicked around, Efraimson got off a shot that was saved by Anderson.
Over the final minutes of the half, Holdenried tallied two more saves to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
Simon Fraser nearly converted off a corner kick in the 64th minute when a shot hit the crossbar. After that, WOU flipped the field getting a pair of shots on goal by Parker and Kaytlyn Larsen that were both saved.
Smith had a shot on goal in the 76th minute that was also saved. A flurry of chances followed for Simon Fraser. In the 82nd minute, SFU had three shots within a three-minute window with two being saved and the other being blocked. Simon Fraser took two more shots before the end of the period that went wide to send the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, Gonzalez Moreno took a corner kick in the 99th minute and eventually got a shot that was blocked. Gonzalez Moreno attempted another corner kick with time winding down that just missed the side of the net and sent the game into another overtime. Simon Fraser didn't generate any shots in the first overtime.
In the second overtime, SFU had a chance 26 seconds in that was blocked. After that, Gonzalez Moreno attempted back-to-back corner kicks again, with one rattling around in the box before being cleared.
After a few more minutes went by, Simon Fraser was able to generate a chance in the 105th minute that resulted in a foul called in the box and a penalty kick. Giuliana Zaurrini took the PK for SFU and shot low left corner to get the shot just by Holdenried for the game-winning goal and 1-0 victory.
Zaurrini led SFU with 12 shots, seven landing on goal. Kiara Buono added seven shots, with four on target. In goal, Anderson started and went all 105 minutes, coming away with six saves.
WOU finishes the season 5-10-3 overall and 4-7-3 in GNAC play, fifth in the conference standings with 15 points.
