Shutout win for the men, close loss for the women in a mid-week matchup with Capilano

Men's soccer clinches a PACWEST playoff berth with a win over fourth-place Capilano while the women fall by a goal

Women: Capilano Blues 3, VIU Mariners 2

LADYSMITH, B.C. – VIU (2-4-1) came flying out of the gate with two early goals at Ladysmith's Forrest Field, but the visiting Capilano Blues (5-1-1) struck back with three straight goals to take the victory.

With five players on the roster who list Ladysmith as their hometown, it wasn't surprising to see the Mariners fly out with the feeling of home field advantage. After only six minutes of play, first-year midfielder Courtney Ingram blasted a high shot past the Capilano keeper to open the scoring.

Twelve minutes later, two Ladysmith graduates combined on VIU's second goal. Fifth-year forward Karen Battie chased down a ball by the left corner flag and served a perfect cross for midfielder Olivia Mazurenko to head in.

However, that would be all of the offense for the Mariners in the game. The Blues responded quickly, potting three goals in the first half (19th, 23rd, and 33rd minutes).

The second half was a stalemate, earning Capilano the victory.

Shots were 11-7 (9-5 on target) in favour of Capilano. Mariners goalkeeper Melanie Osborne was credited with six saves.

Men: VIU Mariners 2, Capilano Blues 0

LADYSMITH, B.C. – The Mariners (4-2-1) clinched a spot in the PACWEST provincial championships with a shutout victory over the Capilano Blues (2-5) at Ladysmith's Forrest Field.

The victory also pushed VIU to the top of the PACWEST conference with two games remaining for each of the four league teams.

The Mariners struck first in the 16th minute—a few minutes after a torrential shower was unleashed on the pitch. The Capilano goalkeeper attempted to corral an incoming ball from a Mariners corner kick, but ended up pushing the ball towards VIU's Matthew Coburn. The tall defender used a first-touch strike to hit the ball just inside the near post.

In the second half, the Mariners doubled their lead with a penalty kick goal. In the 52nd minute, Hirotaka Nishikawa was taken down in the 18-yard box while chasing a loose ball, and the Mariners tabbed Michael Heppelle to take the kick. The Blues keeper dove to his left and Heppelle drove a low shot to the opposite corner.

Mariners keeper Ben Chamberlin stopped a late penalty kick in injury time to preserve the shutout.

Up Next

The Mariners have two games remaining in the 2021 PACWEST regular season; both on the road.

Saturday, October 23rd at Douglas Royals @ Cunnings Field, Coquitlam. Women 1 PM, Men 3:30 PM

Sunday, October 24th at Capilano Blues (Makeup game for September 18). Women 1:30 PM, Men 3:45 PM

While the women are locked into the PACWEST semi-final at the provincial championships, the men still have an opportunity to bank enough points in the final weekend to earn top spot in the conference and a bye into the provincial gold medal game.

Games are streamed live at PACWEST.TV.