The OUA silver medalist University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team will open the 2019 U SPORTS championship versus the AUS champion Cape Breton Capers in quarter-final action on Thursday (Nov. 7) in Victoria.
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The match is set for 4 p.m. local (7 p.m. EST). All games will be streamed on USPORTS.live.
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The Blues are set for their third U SPORTS championship appearance in the past 11 years and first-ever on the road, after hosting the national tournament in 2009 and 2013. Toronto will also be vying for their first national podium finish after placing fifth overall in both 2009 and 2013.
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Toronto and Cape Breton have met only once before in program history, with the Capers edging out a 1-0 victory in the 2013 national quarter-final round.
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NO. 6 BLUES AT A GLANCE: The Varsity Blues have certainly made a name for themselves in U SPORTS soccer over the past few weeks. After finishing the regular season with a 7-4-3 record in fourth place in the OUA East division, the Blues squeaked out a 1-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the first round of the playoffs. Â
Toronto then met the then No. 5 nationally-ranked and previously undefeated Queen's Gaels in quarter-final action. Third-year midfielder Miranda Badovinac scored two goals and added one assist in leading U of T to an upset 3-1 victory over the Gaels to book their ticket to their first OUA Final Four since 2004. Â
The Blues went onto battle the No. 7 Western Mustangs, who were also undefeated, in OUA semifinal action and went scoreless through 105 minutes of play. Western scored midway through extra time but that did not stop U of T from clawing back. Badovinac scored a beautiful goal to even the game and force penalty kicks, where U of T came out on top, 2-1 (3-2 PK) to earn a spot in the OUA final and national tournament. Â
U of T then fell just short to the York Lions in the provincial championship final to match their program-best OUA silver-medal finish. Â
NO. 3 CAPERS AT A GLANCE: The Cape Breton Capers won their third straight AUS title, defeating the Acadia Axewomen 3-2 in the Atlantic final this afternoon (Nov. 3). The Capers finished second in the AUS regular season standings with a 9-2-1 record and ranked inside the Top 5 nationally all season long.Â
The Capers were led by three-time AUS MVP and captain Ciera Disipio, who had three goals and eight assists. Alliyah Rowe scored 14 goals to lead the conference and also won the AUS rookie of the year honours. Â
Statistically, the Capers led the conference in scoring with 37 goals for and were third in goals against only allowing nine. The Capers are making their 11th appearance at the U SPORTS national championships in program history.Â
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2019 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship
University of Victoria
(All Times Local)
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Thursday, November 7
10:30am              No. 1 York vs No. 8 Acadia          Quarter-Final #1
1:00pm                No. 4 Montreal vs No. 5 UBC        Quarter-Final #2
4:00pm                No. 3 Cape Breton vs
No. 6 Toronto  Quarter-Final #3
6:30pm                No. 2 Calgary vs No. 7 Victoria       Quarter-Final #4
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Friday, November 8
1:30pm                Consolation Semifinal #1 (Loser of QF #1 vs Loser of QF #2)
4:00pm                Consolation Semifinal #2 (Loser of QF #3 vs Loser of QF #4)
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Saturday, November 9
12:30pm              Semifinal #1 (Winner of QF #1 vs Winner of QF #2)
3:00pm                Semifinal #2 (Winner of QF #3 vs Winner of QF #4)
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Sunday, November 10
10:00am              Consolation Final (Winner of CSF #1 vs Winner of CSF #2)
12:30pm              Bronze-Medal Match (Loser of SF #1 vs Loser of SF #2)
3:00pm                Gold-Medal Match (Winner of SF #1 vs Winner of SF#2)
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