Sports

Another victory on home turf

By Matt Lee, Associate Staff Contributor

Days after the SFU women’s team decimated rival Carroll College 4-1 at home, they went out and gave Corban College a licking of their own with a 3-0 victory. The two impressive wins have the ladies sitting at 8-2.

Chanelle Bradshaw’s strike in the 18th minute turned out to be the eventual game winner in the Clan’s victory over Corban. Her goal came when Ari Adams’ shot couldn’t be handled by keeper Karyn Allen and fortuitously arrived to the freshman for her second game-winning tally.

Before the end of the first half, Lauren Lachlan netted her first goal of the season when she took a gorgeous pass from Aly Benes in the 37th minute. The goal was well-earned for Lachlan, who has been nursing a leg injury for a large portion of the season. The Corban contest was also the first time Lachlan has played a full game since mid-August.

To top it all off, Adams’ hard work during the game paid off when she scored her first goal of the season on a penalty kick awarded in the 90th minute, placing the ball in the lower left corner of the net. The kick was awarded when Benes was fouled in the box.

By game’s end, the ladies had dismantled Corban, firing a total of 19 shots on net, while keeper Cassie Newbrook made one save to earn the win and the shutout.

With a handful of 1st- and 2nd-year players, there’s no questioning the women’s team is one comprised of youth. And with only a pair of 3rd- and 4th-year players on the squad, leadership and experience is hard to find on this roster, but Howieson will tell you that there have been a handful of her younger players stepping up their play this season.

Although the team is generally young, having Lachlan and Marissa Antoniazzi out for long periods of time did seem to take its toll on the Clan, most notably during the team’s back-to-back losses to Concordia and Trinity Western.

Howieson juggled her lineups often, substituting players at a frequent pace in order to get all of her players in the lineup to provide both speed and energy.

“[Antoniazzi and Lachlan] bring the experience of playing in the program for three years and they also bring that intangible every player knows we need to be a championship team. They make sure we’re disciplined and try to help the people around them,” said Howieson.

The Clan, who have won their last two games on Terry Fox Field, will look to earn the trifecta when they host Concordia University on Wednesday. The women are now ranked 11th in the nation, up one spot from 12th last week.