‘A gold medal, why not?’: WolfPack soccer women taking aim at program history in Final Four

Isabelle Lachance’s innocent-looking shot from distance slipped through Ursem’s mitts in the eighth minute, the Saskatchewan goal spurring WolfPack forward Esi Lufo to share a few words with her standout Dutch keeper.

“I ran to Floor when we took a little break,” said Lufo, the program’s all-time leader in goals and points. “I said, ‘Heads up, we got you and I won’t let you down.'”

The Albanian danger woman told no lie.

Lufo scored twice and second-year winger Sara Kuusimäki tallied once in a 3-1 victory for the WolfPack, who will square off against the Victoria Vikes on Thursday in Vancouver in a Canada West Final Four semifinal tilt.

“Floor responded to it,” WolfPack head coach Mark Pennington said. “She made arguably a game-saving or at least a turning-point save right before halftime. She put it behind her quickly, but I was just more proud of how the team rallied around her. Floor’s been absolutely impeccable for us this year.”

TRU can secure its first women’s soccer Canada West medal and the program’s first berth at the U Sports Championship with a victory over Victoria. Game time is 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

“I believe we’re going to get a positive result and make it to the final,” said Lufo, who will move on from WolfPack soccer at the end of this season. “And I believe… I’m manifesting the final, too. A gold medal, why not? We have the quality. We have everything we need this year. We’ll go for it.”

The Pack (8-2-4) and Vikes (4-3-7) squared off twice in the regular season, tying 0-0 on Sept. 11 in Victoria and 1-1 on Sept. 25 in Kamloops.

“We just keep saying we’re playing with house money now,” Pennington said. “It’s kind of bizarre being the favourites in this one, just by league standings, but we like to play the underdog card a little bit. We’re the only team in that Final Four that’s never been to nationals.”

TRU reached the Canada West Final Four for the first time in 2022, but failed to win a game and fell short of nationals.

In the other Final Four semifinal this year, host UBC – undefeated at 13-0-1 and the championship favourites – will square off against the Trinity Western Spartans (8-4-2) of Langley. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday in Vancouver.

The gold medal game is slated for 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

If TRU and Trinity lose on Thursday and square off on Friday in the bronze-medal match, the winner will advance to nationals.

Should UBC and TRU meet in the bronze-medal game, the WolfPack will not be playing for a place at the U Sports Championship, as the T-Birds will qualify automatically with the host berth while Trinity and Victoria advance on merit.

The bronze medal tilt is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

While the WolfPack aim to live by the old cliché and play one match at a time, Ursem said she does ponder what victory on Thursday would mean to the program.

“Of course I’m talking about it,” Ursem said. “I live with girls from the soccer team, so we talk about it every single day. There’s definitely a possibility that we’re winning.”

The U Sports Women’s Soccer Championship is scheduled to run from Nov. 12 to Nov. 15 in Vancouver.

ALL-STARS

Ursem was named a Canada West Pacific Division all-star on Monday, along with Kuusimäki.

Allison Hill of Kamloops and Kiwi winger Hannah Saxon were named to the conference all-rookie team.

by Marty Hastings

‘A gold medal, why not?’: WolfPack soccer women taking aim at program history in Final Four

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