(SYDNEY, N.S.) The Cape Breton Capers have won their second consecutive AUS title with a 1-0 victory over the StFX X-Women Sunday afternoon in the Subway AUS Women's Soccer Championship final game.
Ciera Disipio's goal in the 35th minute of play held up as the game-winner and was all the Capers needed for the win that sends them to the U SPORTS national championship in Ottawa next weekend.
The windy conditions played a factor in the game as both teams tried to keep the ball low due to the precarious conditions when kicks went into the air.
With the wind in their favour for the first half, the Capers had several key chances in tight in the opening 25 minutes of the game and X-Women keeper Emma Kuzmyk (Cookstown, Ont.) was kept busy. Fourth-year Capers midfielder Chantal Caron had a great chance in close in the 23rd minute but Kuzmyk made a diving save to keep the ball out.
Amelia Carlini (Ottawa, Ont.) had another good scoring chance for the Capers ten minutes later but Kuzmyk saved her low shot. The rebound came out to Erin Freeman (Halifax, NS) but her shot hit the side of the StFX net.
The Capers pressure finally paid off in the 35th minute when AUS most valuable player Ciera Disipio (Ottawa, Ont.) blasted a low shot from just outside the 18-yard box that got past a diving Kuzmyk.
Just minutes later the X-Women had their best scoring chance of the half when Larissa White (Westphal, N.S.) sent a long ball in and as a Capers defender mishandled it, Myles stole inside the 18-yard box but could not get a shot off on goal.
Myles played a strong opening half for the X-Women but they remained down a goal at the halftime break.
AUS first team all-star Kelsey Ellis (Ottawa, Ont.) had a great chance to even the game in the opening three minutes of the second half as she unleashed a shot on goal from outside the 18 but Capers keeper Rachel Yerxa (Mississauga, Ont.) made a diving save to deflect it out of harm's way. On the ensuing corner kick, the ball hit the cross bar in another scoring chance for the X-Women.
Myles had a great shot on goal in the 55th minute that just cleared the Capers cross bar, staying out of the net.
It was a tale of two halves as the X-Women controlled the play for the majority of the second half as they took advantage of having the winds at their backs and most of the ball possession was spent in the Capers side of the field.
As the X-Women continued to pressure for the equalizer, the Capers defense stayed strong and Yerxa came up with key stops in the CBU goal. Time ran out of the X-Women as the Capers held on for the 1-0 win and their second consecutive AUS title.
Disipio received both Subway Player of the Game and championship MVP honours for her play throughout the weekend.
X-Women all-star midfielder Mercy Myles was the Subway Player of the game for the X-Women.
Source: StFX Athletics Communications