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SFU to face reigning NCAA Div. II champions in first round of national tourney

SFU recently won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship.
Jess Balzer
Jess Balzer
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The SFU women's soccer team will face the No. 2 seed Point Loma Sea Lions in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division II championship.Great Northwest Athletic Conference

The Simon Fraser University (SFU) women's soccer team will be facing a tall order in the opening round of the NCAA Div. II soccer championship. 

The Red Leafs, ranked seventh in the West Region, will face the No. 2 Point Loma on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m.

The Sea Lions are the reigning Div. II national champions from 2023. 

Last year, SFU was eliminated in the first round of the national championship, falling 2-0 on penalty kicks to Cal State LA.

SFU is no stranger to being the underdogs this year, upsetting GNAC No. 1 Western Washington in the final (1-0) and No. 2 seed Seattle Pacific in the semifinal (2-0) on the way to its second straight conference title. 

Kiera Scott scored the lone goal in the title game, bringing her tournament total to three after scoring both goals in the semifinal. 

“We know she has that type of quality, and she is such a dynamic player in those 1v1 situations,” SFU Head Coach Carlo Basso said after clinching the conference for a second consecutive season.

“When she gets across the shoulder it’s very difficult to deal with her. Today she once again proved to be the difference maker and had a fantastic finish to get us the trophy.”

Burnaby goalkeeper Sarah Loewen stopped a season-high eight shots to record a clean sheet in the final. 

The Red Leafs finished with a GNAC season record of 14-3-3.