The University of Victoria Vikes are a win away from a second-straight trip to the CIS nationals and Whitehorse’s Jackie Harrison is a big part of the team’s success.
The Vikes women’s soccer team began the Canada West playoffs with a 5-1 win over the University of Regina Cougars last Friday in Victoria.
Midfielder Harrison scored two goals, including the game-winner on a penalty shot, in the match.
“We played very well against Regina last Friday, primarily due to our high defensive pressure all over the pitch,” said Harrison in an email to the News. “We were able to win the ball in their end a lot, which gave us many opportunities to generate successful offensive plays. Our defensive line also played particularly strong that game and really controlled the pace of the game through accurate passing and possession.”
The win over Regina puts the Vikes at an 11-2 season record.
Harrison leads her team with seven goals this season, “but we are a well-rounded team with a number of high-scoring players from multiple positions,” said Harrison, who is one of three captains on the roster.
“I think we have had such a successful season because we have a lot of experience on our team,” added the fifth-year player. “We have many fifth-, forth- and third-year players in our line-up and so that experience has really helped us succeed this season. In turn, we also have signed some very skillful rookies this year that have added some key energy to our roster.”
The Vikes are set to faceoff with the Trinity Western University Spartans on Friday in Victoria.
A win for the Vikes would put the team in the Canada West finals and provide a berth to the CIS Women’s Soccer Championship in Toronto.
The Vikes defeated the Spartans 2-1 in the two teams’ one encounter this season on Sept. 13 in Langley.
“My team is feeling positive and ready to battle for Friday’s game, and it will be nice to play in front of our home crowd,” said Harrison.
The Vikes finished third in Canada last season, took second in the Canada West conference playoffs and Harrison was named a Canada West All-Star last season.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com