The Peak

Clan pummels Carroll with 2nd half flurry

By Matt Lee, Associate Staff Contributor

The SFU ladies have begun the second half of their season the same way they started the first: putting results in the win column.

After beginning the season with a flawless 6-0 record, the Clan dropped two of their previous contests entering Saturday’s much-anticipated match against rival Carroll College. The match was seen as a huge test of SFU’s ability to overcome both injuries and adversity, and the squad came through with a convincing 4-1 victory on Terry Fox Field.

The team was led by a pair of new faces, as Chanelle Bradshaw bagged her first two goals of her University career, scoring off a rebound and tipping a Marissa Antoniazzi header. Standout forward Sarah Boulton also struck for her seventh goal while also recording a pair of assists for a three-point effort.

With their win against Carroll College, the women’s record improves to 7-2. Carroll College and SFU have been deadlocked in an intense rivalry for the past two seasons, tying both games in regular season play. Last year it was Carroll that dashed SFU’s hopes to compete in the national championships with a win on penalty kicks in the Region I finals.

Despite the win, the Clan has been snake-bitten with injuries, with coach Shelley Howieson claiming there are seven or eight players injured to varying degrees.

“We really needed these 10 days in between games,” said head coach Shelley Howieson before the contest. “I’m not a coach who talks about injuries, but those are things you need to play through. [Injuries] are the kind of thing every team goes through and I’m sure that it’s something you need to battle.”

The Clan did, however, get an injection of experience on the field with the return of 4th-year Antoniazzi and 2nd-year Lauren Lachlan. Antoniazzi had been in and out of the lineup nursing a leg injury, while Lachlan had been missing the last five games with a lower leg ailment. And while it may be said that the Clan’s recent woes can be attributed to the absences of the two, Howieson isn’t making excuses.

“I’d say that we played a couple of tough teams,” said Howieson. “The fact we didn’t have our full starting lineup reflected that we are still a bit young and I think the ones that were on the field have learned some things from that. Hopefully we’re going to be able to go forward and be stronger for it.”

Even though the team record nosedived to 6-2 after their hot start prior to the win over Carroll, Howieson reiterated her confidence in the team last week, claiming she’s even more optimistic about her squad.

“I’d say that I’m more optimistic,” she answered. “Sometimes the most important thing you can have in a program is a loss because if you treat it the right way and look at how you can make yourself better, a loss is a good thing.”

With Carroll now in their rearview mirror, the ladies have another two games to play on the Fox Field before they hit the road again in mid-October. The team will take on Corban College on October 1 before another home game against Concordia University on October 11.