VIU Remains Top of the Conference Following a 1-1 Road Trip

COQUITLAM / WEST VANCOUVER - The Mariners held onto top spot in the PACWEST conference--tied with Douglas, but ahead on goal differential--after their final road trip of the regular season ended with one loss and one win.

SATURDAY, October 1: Douglas 3 - VIU 1
Towncentre Turf
No box score available at press time

While VIU blitzed Douglas in their previous meeting--scoring four first-half goals--the host Royals flipped the script in this one, scoring three first-half goals on the way to a 3-1 victory.

On an unseaonably warm 25-degree October day, the Royals opened up a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes, capitalizing first on a clear-cut 2-on-1 break before drifting a long shot off the hands of a diving Kaiden Thorpe in the VIU net.

The Mariners got one back in the 23rd minute as Jade Dillabough raced in alone and calmly deposited a low shot from the top of the penalty area into the bottom-left of the net. However, five minutes later, Thorpe raced out to try to stop a breakaway attempt but the ball slipped through and the Royals attacker was able to poke it into an empty net. 

VIU had plenty of strong build-ups through the remainder of the game, but passes close to goal often failed to connect and few shots troubled the Royals 'keeper. With the loss, the Mariners had their first two-game losing streak of the season.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2: VIU 2 - Capilano 1
Mulgrave School
BOX SCORE

After consecutive losses, the Mariners needed to keep pace with the Douglas Royals to maintain top spot in the conference, and VIU delivered.

With conference scoring leader Shea Battie out of the lineup, Olivia Mazurenko and Jade Dillabough scored and solid defending against Capilano's speedy strikers paced VIU to a 2-1 victory.

Mazurenko's goal, in the 26th minute, was her first of the campaign. The setup came after Dillabough raced to the near corner to barely keep the ball in play, sending it back to midfielder Courtney Ingram. Ingram's shot was blocked, but she followed up on the deflection and poked the ball through to Mazurenko, who one-touched the ball along the ground from in close and past the surprised Capilano goalkeeper. 

The 1-0 lead was short-lived as Capilano answered moments later. Capilano's Mya Smith deflected in a corner kick at the far post and the score stood at 1-1 at the half.

VIU regained the lead less than a minute after the second-half kick-off. A long ball towards the Capilano net was contested by four players, and in the confusion, the ball was pushed through to Dillabough. She raced onto it and unleashed a quick right-footed shot that beat the Blues keeper.

The Blues pushed forward throughout the rest of the half--often sending long volleys through in an attempt to spring their forwards behind the Mariners defence. However, the VIU backline, led by Cara Dunlop, held the Blues at bay, and limited the home team to only four shot attempts in the half.

VIU goaltender Melanie Osborne made three saves on four shots to earn the win. 

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Captain Cara Dunlop (Nanaimo, B.C.) was instrumental in helping the Mariners earn all three points in their game against Capilano--a decisive rebound after their Saturday loss to Douglas.

"Cara took care of business on the back line with a great sense of urgency and composure," head coach Bobbie Taylor said. "Her ball distribution was also spot on."

Dunlop was consistently in the right place at the right time, frustrating the Capilano attackers all game long with interceptions and timely tackles.

UP NEXT

After the conference takes a weekend break for Thanksgiving, the Mariners play at home for the first time since the opening weekend of the season: a weekend matchup between VIU and Douglas, the top two teams in the conference. These games may go a long way to deciding which team ends up first in the PACWEST, earning a bye to the provincial gold medal game in the process.

Saturday, October 15 - VIU (5-2-1) vs Douglas (5-2-1)
Q'unq'inuqwstuxw (NDSS Turf), 3 p.m.

Sunday, October 16 - VIU vs Douglas
Q'unq'inuqwstuxw (NDSS Turf), 3 p.m.

For more information, please contact Matt Carter, VIU Mariners Communications & Sports Information Coordinator.