WSOC: Final Four Preview

Article by Brian Swane, special to CW

Nov. 2, 2023 - Sixteen teams kicked off the regular season at the end of August. Ten of them qualified for the postseason. From the play-in round through the quarterfinals, that field has been whittled down to four. And before we turn back the clocks this weekend, one will be crowned the champion of Canada West women’s soccer for 2023.

The Canada West Final Four kicks off Thursday (Nov. 2) in Vancouver, B.C., where the host UBC Thunderbirds take on the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Trinity Western Spartans contest the Victoria Vikes in semi-final action at Thunderbird Stadium.

At stake is a spot in the championship match, which immediately follows the bronze medal game on Friday, and no matter which two teams reach the gold medal final, the story writes itself.

UBC and Trinity Western, for example, would be meeting in the championship for a third straight year, with each having won once. The T-Birds and Spartans are at the top of the all-time list with 16 and nine titles, respectively, and they have combined to win the Canada West Women’s Soccer Trophy 15 of the last 20 postseasons.

The T-Birds soared past Regina 4-0 last week in the quarterfinal round, where Trinity Western survived a scare from the Calgary Dinos, going to penalties before prevailing.

Saskatchewan is seeking not just its first ever championship, but its first ever appearance in the gold medal final. The Huskies matched their best regular season in program history with 10 wins and shutout UBC Okanagan 1-0 in the quarterfinals last Saturday.

The Vikes, meanwhile, haven’t hoisted the trophy in 15 years. Victoria is the Cinderella story of this postseason, advancing all the way from the play-in round, first beating UFV on penalties before upsetting MacEwan 2-0 in Edmonton on Saturday.

All games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV. Here’s a look at who to watch in Thursday’s matches: 

Saskatchewan (10-3-1 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) vs. UBC (13-1-0 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) – Thursday 4 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver 

Regular Season Head-to-Head

• Did not play

Who to Watch

• Katalin Tolnai (UBC, fourth year, forward) scored UBC’s third goal in its 4-0 quarterfinal defeat of Regina. The veteran striker was the Canada West co-leader with 14 goals and ranked first in the conference with 22 points during the regular season, a total that tied the conference record for points in a single season. She was named the 2023 Canada West Women's Soccer Player of the Year on Wednesday.
• Alyssa D’Agnone (Saskatchewan, third year, forward) scored six times in the regular season, tying for the Huskies team lead, but her biggest goal came last week in the quarterfinal round to give Saskatchewan a 1-0 win over UBC Okanagan. 

Victoria (8-4-2 regular season, 2-0 playoffs) vs. Trinity Western (9-2-3 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) – Thursday 7:00 pm PT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver

Regular Season Head-to-Head

• Sept. 8: Trinity Western 4 at Victoria 1
• Oct. 14: Victoria 1 at Trinity Western 0

Who to Watch:

• Sophie Crowther (Trinity Western, second year, forward) converted the decisive penalty kick in TWU’s quarterfinal triumph. The 2022 Canada West Rookie of the Year had the winning goal and two assists when the Spartans beat Victoria in September.
• Ruby Nicholas (Victoria, second year, forward) tied for first in Canada West with nine assists during the regular season and picked up another helper on the Vikes’ second goal of their 2-0 quarterfinal victory over MacEwan.

Photo credits: Mark Janzen (TWU), Jacob Mallari (Cover - UBC), Vamsi Nadella (UBC), Rebecca Chelmick (VIC), Electric Umbrella (SSK)