Sea-Hawks finish off Capers in penalties to reach final

(Halifax, NS) The tables have been set for the 2014 Subway AUS Women's Soccer Championship final as the Memorial Sea-Hawks defeated the defending champion Cape Breton Capers in penalties on a cold, rainy afternoon at Wickwire Field. This marks the first time since 2009 that the AUS champion will not be either Dalhousie or CBU.

Emily Bailey opened the scoring for the Sea-Hawks when she pounced on a rebound that went past a diving Tiffany O'Donnell, who had just made two previous saves after Jane Pope sent a beautiful cross right into the box. She almost added another just minutes later as she chased down a ball headed towards the Capers net but O'Donnell slid out to make the save.
CBU's Kelsey Hand tied the game in the 72nd minute when she fired an absolute bullet past Hannah Noseworthy. Intensity soared after the goal as both teams fought tooth and nail for the next precious goal. Despite strong efforts from both sides, the game remained tied as regulation time expired.

In extra-time, tempers flared as the game got heated despite the cold weather. Memorial's Maria Mackey received a yellow card in the 107th minute after arguing with the referee over a call. Neither team could find the back of the net in all of extra-time, so the team that wanted to go to the finals had to do so in a shootout.

Jane Pope opened the shootout with a screaming shot to the bottom left of the net to give the Sea-Hawks a lead in the shootout. Tiffany O'Donnell followed up Pope's goal with a save on AUS MVP Karolyne Blain and Jesse Noseworthy scored to seal the deal for the Sea-Hawks, who will look to win their first AUS women's soccer championship in the school's history.

They will face the first-seeded UNB Varsity reds tomorrow in the final at 2:00pm at Wickwire Field. You can catch the game live online at www.AUStv.ca.

Source: Dalhousie Sports Information
Photography credit: Nick Pearce