VICTORIA, B.C. – The best three women's soccer teams in the Pacific Division of the Canada West will face off this weekend as the University of Victoria Vikes will visit the mainland for a weekend swing of games, Oct. 10-11. The Vikes will first visit two-time defending CIS national champions, the Trinity Western Spartans, on Friday and will follow it up with a game against the Fraser Valley cascades on Saturday.
 
The Vikes women are currently tied with Trinity Western with 21 points and a 7-0-1 record, while Fraser Valley are one point back with a 7-1-0 record.
 
First up the Vikes will have to contend with the powerful Spartans, on a mission to earn a CIS three-peat, and who also boast the division's highest goal scorer in Jessica King. The last time these two teams met the Vikes dominated in play and went ahead on a goal by Cassie Dennis. King tallied in the 81^st minute to give both team's their only tie of the season.
 
"We like playing against them," said Tracy David, Vikes Head Coach, about the on-going rivalry. "They bring the best out of us and you have to have the best game when you play them. We don't expect anything less this time around. It's always a great atmosphere at their venue with a great crowd, who are like their extra woman on the field."
 
The Spartans boast the lethal offensive power of King alongside former Canada West Rookie of the Year Krista Gommeringer (three goals to date), and also the experience of Jenna Di Nunzio, Alessandra Oliverio and Vanessa Kovacs. Graham Roxburgh, head coach of the Spartans, is the man behind the magic after guiding the program to four national titles and five conference titles since 1999.
 
The Vikes have yet to meet Fraser Valley in conference play this season but will get their first taste this Saturday. The Abbotsford-based team will host Victoria on artificial turf, a surface the Vikes don't favour heavily due to the different speed and bounce. The Cascades, however, will be a challenge on their own, with freshman striker Monika Levarsky leading the team with five goals and four assists. Senior striker Shelby Beck will also be a force to contend with, while keeper third-year netminder Kayla Klim has already logged four shutouts in seven games played.
 
"Fraser Valley are an improved team from last year," added David. "They have always been a defensively strong team that are tough to score on. They are aggressive, physical and very good on their set pieces. We will have to make sure we don't give up unnecessary free kicks."
 
Outside of their opponents, the Vikes have to continue to go to their strengths to be successful this weekend. In one end of the field that has largely been thanks to fourth-year striker Emma Greig. The islander has amassed a team-leading 18 points (six goals, six assists) to sit second in Canada West scoring and first in assists.
 
In the other end, third-year Meaghan Storie  has logged three shutouts in eight games and boasts a 0.42 goals against average.
 
"We have a really good dynamic and we are really working hard for each other right now," notes David about her current squad. "I think we are creating chances and now we have to put them away. We attack quickly and use the width well and this year we are continually looking at our seniors on the pitch."
 
Those seniors have definitely been in fine form this year including fifth-year CIS All-Canadian Jaclyn Sawicki, currently with four goals and three assists, while defender Mallory Hackett and midfielders Carly Branion-Calles, Cassie Dennis and Maryse Reichgeld have been core players spanning the field.
 
Last year the Vikes finished a top the regular season standings in the conference and the defence of that reign will really begin this weekend. The top of the division is on the line and valuable points will be up for grabs as teams need to play in the top 2 for hosting rights of the quarter-finals.
 
The Vikes will visit Trinity Western on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. in Langley, B.C., and will then travel to Abbotsford to play Fraser Valley, also at 5 p.m., on Oct. 11. Both games will be available with live web video and stats at uvic.canadawest.tv.