#
Shannon Elder# of Victoria scored twice three minutes apart to lift the University of Victoria's women's soccer team to a 2-1 comeback win over the Fraser Valley Cascades in Abbotsford, B.C., on Saturday afternoon, keeping their playoff aspirations alive.
With the win, the Vikes improve to 6-4-3 for 21 points, sitting in the fourth and final playoff position. They are chasing Trinity Western (9-1-1), UBC (8-1-2) and Alberta (8-3-0) in the standings with Calgary and Saskatchewan on their heels.
Elder scored in the 80th and 83rd minutes for UVic, while
Ellen Kuyer (Surrey, B.C.) scored the only Fraser Valley goal in the 18th minute.
Vikes head coach #
Tracy David# said she was pleased with the comeback effort late in the contest.
"Credit to everybody at that point in the game," David said. "We needed something special. #
Frankee Bencher# came on the pitch and shortly thereafter we got a free kick and then
(Jaclyn) Sawicki played it in and Elder flipped it up and over the goalkeeper's head."
"The second one came three or four minutes later, Bencher took the ball down the right side, crossed it to the far post and Sawicki laid it off and Elder scored. It was pretty dramatic, the shot hit the post and then went into the net."
David said while she is happy to earn the win, that the host Cascades "outmuscled and outhustled " the Vikes.
"All game, Fraser Valley was relentless," David said. "They stole it from us and shoved it back down our throats."
David said the goal UVic conceded came off a poor clearance in the back.
"We gave away a soft goal and had a chance to clear it," David said. "We just needed to clear the ball we hesitated. We never got into a rhythm or a flow, they never let us get settled and so we were uncomfortable"
The Vikes host the same Fraser Valley squad in the season finale next Saturday at 12 p.m. at Centennial Stadium in what could be a game that determines whether or not the Vikes will make the post-season.
"We have to play with consistency and we need to be aggressive and physical," David said.
