VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes women's soccer team claimed the top of the regular season standings with a 10-2 record and earned the right to host the conference Final Four Nov. 1-2 at Centennial Stadium. Joining the Vikes will be the Alberta Pandas, UBC Thunderbirds and defending CIS champions, the Trinity Western Spartans.

EVENT PROGRAM  |  LIVE WEB STREAM & STATS
 
The opening match ups will pit the Alberta Pandas against the UBC Thunderbirds, who recently met in their final regular season game. Alberta's Shalla Kadima notched three goals including the game winner in the 90^th minute in an exciting game that was tied 2-2 at the 85^th-minute mark.
 
The other conference semifinal pits long-time rivals the Victoria Vikes against the Trinity Western Spartans. In their second game of the season the Vikes served a 90^th-minute dagger to the Spartans on their home field to take a 2-1 win in Langley, B.C. This was Trinity Western's first loss at home in 18 regular season games. Since the loss the Spartans turned it around to go undefeated for their remaining 11 games, while this weekend the Vikes take the edge as they are also undefeated at home for the past seven games.   
 
The Final Four will begin with the conference awards banquet on Oct. 30 at Cadboro Commons Dining Hall at the University of Victoria. The Pandas and T-Birds will square off in the first semifinal, Nov. 1, at 5:00 p.m., while the Vikes will host the Spartans at 7:15 p.m. The bronze and gold-medal games will take place on Nov. 2 at 5:00 and 7:15 p.m. All games will be held in Victoria's Centennial Stadium and will be broadcast with live video and stats at http://canadawest.tv

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
 All games at UVic's Centennial Stadium  |  TICKET INFO

Oct. 31 | 6:30 p.m. – Canada West Awards Banquet (Cadboro Commons, UVic)
Nov. 1  |  5:00 p.m. – Semifinal #1: Alberta vs. UBC
Nov. 1  |  7:15 p.m. – Semifinal #2: Victoria vs. Trinity Western
Nov. 2  |  5:00 p.m. – Bronze Medal Match
Nov. 2  |  7:15 p.m. -  Gold Medal Match
*Note: Banner and medal presentation to follow gold-medal game
 
TEAM PROFILES
 
#1 VICTORIA VIKES
Head Coach: Tracy David (12^th season)
Regular season record: 10-2
Regular season standing: 1^st/Canada West
Playoff record to date: 1-0
Season overall record: 11-2
Season record vs. final / tournament teams: 1-0 (TWU)
Top 10 final ranking  #4
Top 10 best ranking: #4
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (8 polls total): 7
Past CIS / Canada West award winners: Jaclyn Sawicki (2012 CIS Tournament All-Star, 2012 CIS 2^nd Team All-Canadian)
Past CIS / Canada West all-stars: Jaclyn Sawicki (2011 & 2012 Canada West First Team All-Star); Emma Greig (2012 Canada West Second Team All-Star), Brigitte Greig (2012 Canada West First Team All-Star)
Points leader: Emma Greig, 8 points (4G, 4A)
Team national ranking: 3^rd – GF – 29 goals
Team national ranking: 4^th- GA -8
Canada West medals in history: 7 (3-2-2)
Canada West championships won: 2008
CIS championships won: 1 (2008)
 
The Vikes enter the tournament as the favourite cruising through the quarter-finals with two goals from each of Jackie Harrison and Cassie Dennis. The Vikes have also been undefeated for the past seven-straight games and have yet to lose at home this season. The Vikes conceded early losses in the season to UBC and Alberta but gained an early win over the defending CIS champs Trinity Western on their home turf. Key players for the Vikes include striker Emma Greig, defender Brigitte Greig and midfielders Jaclyn Sawicki and Carly Branion-Calles.
 
#2 ALBERTA PANDAS
Head Coach: Liz Jepsen (9^th season)
Regular season record: 9-1-2
Regular season standing: 2nd
Playoff record to date: 1-0
Season overall record: 16-1-3
Season record vs. final / tournament teams: 1-0 UBC, 1-0 Victoria and 0-1 TWU
Top 10 final ranking (Oct. 29): No. 3
Top 10 best ranking: #2 (once)
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (7 polls total): 6
Past CIS / Canada West award winners: player-award-year
Past CIS / Canada West all-stars: player-team-year
Points leader: Julia Ignacio (10-9-19)
Other leader: Julia Ignacio co-led Canada West in GWG with 4
Canada West medals in history: 23 (7-8-8)
Canada West championships won: 7
Last Canada West championship: 2001
CIS championships won: 3
 
Substitute Terri Kutryk scored the game-winning goal for the Alberta pandas as they defeated the Fraser Valley Cascades on Oct. 26 to advance to the conference Final Four. The Pandas enter the weekend ranked No. 3 in the CIS, the highest in the Canada West. The Pandas can credit a lot of their success to fourth-year striker Julia Ignacio who leads the team and conference with 10 goals and nine assists. The Pandas had only one loss this season after going undefeated for their first 10 games. A 2-0 defeat by the Spartans was a minor set back for the team who boast a strong backfield led by keeper Kelti Biggs and defenders Victoria Saccomani and Shalla Kadima.
 
#3 UBC THUNDERBIRDS
Head Coach: Andrea Neil (1^st season)
Regular season record: 8-1-3
Regular season standing: 3rd
Playoff record to date: 1-0
Season overall record: 9-2-4 (9-1-3 if you exclude non-conference games)
Season record vs. final / tournament teams: 1-0 vs. Victoria, 0-0-1 vs. Trinity Western, 0-1 vs. Alberta
Top 10 final ranking (Oct. 29): #7
Top 10 best ranking: #4 (2 times)
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (8 polls total): 8
Past CIS / Canada West award winners: Janine Frazao (MVP – 2011, 2012), Alyssa Williamson (Rookie of the Year 2011)
Past CIS / Canada West all-stars: Janine Frazao (First Team All-Canadian 2011, 2012; First Canada West All-Star Team 2011, 2012; Second Team Canada West 2010), Ally Williamson (Second Canada West All-Star Team 2011); Alisha Penev (Second Canada West All-Star Team 2011, 2012)
Points leader: Janine Frazao (10 points)
Team national ranking: 1^st goal allowed
Canada West medals in history: 23 (13-5-5)
Canada West championships won: 13
Last Canada West championship: 2007
CIS championships won: 5 (2006, 2003, 2002, 1993, 1987)
 
UBC was impressive in head coach Andrea Neil's first season. The T-Birds enter the Final Four with just one loss all season, a 3-2 loss to Alberta in the team's final game of the year. But UBC rebounded with a 2-1 triumph in its Canada West quarter-final playoff game against Calgary. A strong, collective defence is the backbone of this team, which recorded a 724-minute shutout streak during the regular season. Seniors Taryn Lim and Jordan Kitagawa have been stellar leaders for a defence that also includes star rookie Aman Shergill, who was the only T-Bird to start every league game this season. Former Canada West Rookie of the Year Alyssa Williamson recorded five shutouts in net for the Thunderbirds during the year while backup Emily Wilson had four. Offensively, UBC are led by two-time Canada West Player of the Year Janine Frazao who leads the 'Birds with five goals and five assists despite only contributing in nine games. Rookie Jasmin Dhanda also scored five goals in 2013 and tied for the team lead.
 
#4 TRINITY WESTERN
Head Coach: Graham Roxburgh (15th) 186-94-47
Regular season record: 8-1-3 CW conference play
Regular season standing: 4^th place / Canada West, 10^th place / CIS Ranking
Playoff record to date: 1-0 (Saskatchewan 2-0)
Season overall record: 10-2-3
Season record vs. final / tournament teams: 0-1 vs Victoria (1-2), 1-0 vs Alberta (2-0), 0-0-1 vs UBC (0-0)
Top 10 final ranking (Oct. 29): #8
Top 10 best ranking: 1 (2 weeks)
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (8 polls total): 7
Past CIS / Canada West award winners: Nikki Wright: CIS Rookie of the Year, CW Player of the Year, CW Rookie of the Year 2008, Alicia Tesan: CIS Rookie of the Year, CW Rookie of the Year 2009, Krista Gommeringer: CW Rookie of the Year 2012, Jennifer Castillo 2012 CIS Championship MVP, coach Graham Roxburgh 2011 CIS Coach of the Year.
Past CIS / Canada West all-stars: all-Canadians: Natalie Boyd, Krista Gommeringer, Colleen Webber, Nikki Wright. CW all-star: above plus Jennifer Castillo.
Points leader: Krista Gommeringer 15 pts (10g,5a), Jessica King 8 pts (3g,5a), Natalie Boyd 6 pts (4g, 2a), Goalkeeper: Rachel Bedek 0.52 ga/avg, 27 saves, 6.1 shutouts, 8-1-3 record
Other leader: Assists: Jessica King 5a, Krista Gommeringer 5a. Shots: Krista Gommeringer 47.
Team CW ranking: eg. scoring, offence: shots 1^st (241,20p/g), goals 5^th (27)
Team CW ranking: eg. defence, goaltending: goals against 2^nd (0.50 p/g, 6 total), shutouts 2^nd (7, 0.58 av/g)
Canada West championships won: 5 (2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012) – 2002 first year in CW/CIS
Last Canada West championship: 2012
CIS championships won: 4 (2004, 2008, 2009, 2012), championship appearances: 6
 
Eleven players from last year's CIS championship-winning team return to this years Canada West Final Four in hopes defending Trinity Western's back-to-back Canada West titles.
 
After a slow start in which the Spartans went 0-1-1, including their lone loss of the season to the Victoria Vikes, TWU enters this weekend on a 11-match unbeaten streak. Leading the turnaround was the attacking of CIS All-Canadian and 10-goal season forward Krista Gommeringer and the strong midfield and defensive play from CIS All-Canadians Natalie Boyd and Colleen Webber and 2012 CIS championship MVP Jennifer Castillo.
 
The Spartans also boast the dangerous trio of Jessica King, Vanessa Kovacs and Alicia Tesan in the attacking midfield and forward positions, while backstopping TWU this season is 2013 Canadian FISU keeper Rachel Bedek, a fifth year transfer from Carlton.
 
Trinity Western edged the Vikes 2-1 in last year's conference final before going on to win their fourth CIS crown in nine years.
 
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, winning 100 CIS national over the last 10 seasons. Comprised of 17 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. canadawest.org / canadawest.tv / @cwuaa on Twitter
 
A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).