Disappointment and heartbreak were the take-away from the Simon Fraser University women’s soccer team’s 2-1 overtime loss Saturday.
It signified a premature end of the season, as the Western Oregon Wolves delivered the telling blow in the 107th minute off a free kick.
The loss muted Tuesday`s announcement that Clan forward Christina Dickson was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference`s Freshman of the Year and a unanimous first team All-Conference selection as voted by conference head coaches.
The Burnaby North alum led SFU with seven goals and three assists, placing fourth in the conference in goalscoring and fourth in points.
“Christina had a huge impact on our team this year and forced our opponents to respect her speed because she gets in behind backlines and disrupts things,” said SFU head coach Annie Hamel. “Her seven goals were just a fraction of the opportunities she created all year and with some experience and composure her future is going to be very bright.”
Due to a 1-0 win by the Montana State University-Billings over Central Washington earlier in the day, SFU needed to beat WOU to secure the fourth and final berth to the GNAC championships, which begin this week.
Making it all the more painful is the fact SFU is hosting the GNACs.
The Clan went down fighting, outshooting the competition 25-19 over the 110 minutes.
Katelyn Erhardson deposited the team’s only goal, tying the game after the Wolves took a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
Simon Fraser finished the regular season 7-6-2, with a GNAC fifth-place record of 5-6-1.
The GNACs begin Thursday on Terry Fox Field. The seminfinal matches will take place at 4 and 7 PM on Thursday. The championship match will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
