Saturday, November 11, 2023
by Thomas Lal

Ellensburg, Wash. – Before this week, Simon Fraser had never won a game at the GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships. This year the Red Leafs changed all of that, taking down reigning conference and Division II champion Western Washington 2-1 in thrilling fashion to claim the program’s first ever GNAC women’s soccer title in Ellensburg.

Simon Fraser (8-5-5) broke a 1-1 stalemate in the 81st minute when Kaiden Sherwood sprinted down the wing into open space, evading a closing Western Washington defender before firing a cross to sophomore forward Raegan Mackenzie. The Coquitlam, B.C. native took two cracks at net with WWU goalkeeper Claire Henninger saving the initial shot before the second bounced past the sprawling keeper and into the back of the net. The strike would stand as the game-winner, netting Simon Fraser the GNAC Championships title and Mackenzie tournament MVP honors.

“I went all season without scoring,” Mackenzie said after the match with a relieved shake of her head. “I was in a major dry spot, but scoring in this moment is all that matters I guess, right?”

Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for the Red Leafs who came into the tournament final having not defeated the Vikings since Sept. 17, 2005. In interim head coach Carlo Basso’s first season at the helm of the program, the result also makes the Red Leafs just the fourth team in GNAC history to win the conference tournament since its inception in 2012. They are the first team to win the tournament that is not Seattle Pacific or Western Washington since 2018 when Concordia (Ore.) defeated the Falcons 2-1.

“I’m so proud of the group,” Basso said following the match. “And then to finish off the game the way we did, I thought we handled and coped the last 10 minutes so tremendously well. So I’m proud of the group and just really can’t say enough kind words about Western (Washington) and what they’ve done, in creating their tradition. And especially our group, we’re a program that wants to be elite. We’re a program that wants to grow. And today we made a huge statement by winning our first conference title.”

Simon Fraser came out of the gates and stunned No. 2 seed Western Washington (12-5-4) as junior midfielder Isabella Muzzolini put one past Henninger, the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, in just the second minute. It was freshman forward Sarah Caravatta who delivered the ball on a silver platter to Muzzolini with her second assist of the tournament, charging down the right wing and firing a hard shot at Henninger before collecting the rebound and dishing to Muzzolini as she came down the middle.

“Just high energy,” Basso said of the team’s method to net a pair of early goals to get ahead of the Vikings today and Seattle Pacific in the semifinals. “We’ve talked a lot about not fearing these opponents. You have to respect them because of how good they are. Western Washington with such a long winning tradition, but we can’t fear anyone. If you want to win these types of games, you have to be brave. You have to be courageous. And you have to find your moments to go at them and fortunately enough we were able to get one early again.”

From there, Simon Fraser was content to let Western Washington try and press the ball through the congested midfield while SFU maintained a strong defensive shape. Junior midfielder Kate Cartier was a major component in the Red Leafs’ strategy, winning countless battles against WWU’s top attackers and playing the full 90 minutes.

The Red Leafs nearly doubled their lead ahead of halftime as junior forward Mikayla Tupper snuck the ball past Henninger, only to have the goal called back due to offside. As the wind kicked up at Tomlinson Stadium, Western Washington senior midfielder Payton Neal took a crack at goal with about 10 minutes left in the half which Simon Fraser goalkeeper Sarah Loewen saved cleanly despite being well off her line. Loewen put together some of her best work in the first half where she made four of her five total saves.

Not long after Neal’s attempt, the Red Leafs had another heart-in-the-mouth moment as the ball careened into the back of their net after a WWU corner kick. Simon Fraser was able to let out a sigh of relief, however, as the goal was immediately waved off due to a foul in the box, giving SFU a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

In the second half, Western Washington refused to go down without a fight, striking in the 58th minute to level the match at 1-1. The goal came from a strong build-up by WWU and culminated in a brilliant touch by Neal to chip the ball over the SFU defense and find the foot of Myka Carr. The junior forward from Newcastle, Wash., made no mistake with her opportunity, beating a diving Loewen for the Vikings’ lone goal of the match.

The match would remain knotted at 1-1 for just over 23 minutes as the Vikings surged back into contention. A few nervy moments for both sides resulted in chances, notably including an excellent move from Tupper in transition that she fired just over the Western Washington crossbar. On the other side of the pitch, WWU sophomore forward Morgan Manalili was creating problems of her own, creating opportunities for her teammates with relentless pace.

As the half wore on, however, it was clear that Simon Fraser was beginning to find its structure once again. Muzzolini drove the play alongside Cartier and Sherwood. Both Cartier and Sherwood tested Henninger from distance as the Red Leafs pushed their advantage, but the senior captain stood tall in net. Cartier was at the root of the game’s most important moment, placing a perfectly weighted ball on the foot of Sherwood to give her a clear path into the box. Mackenzie took it from there, delivering her first goal of the season when her team needed it most.

The Red Leafs stood tall until the final whistle blew and they swarmed the field in celebration, remaining on the field long after the majority of fans had left the stadium. It was only after Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” finished playing that Simon Fraser began to head back to its Burnaby-bound bus with the party only just beginning.

With the victory, Simon Fraser earns the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Regionally-ranked Seattle Pacific and Western Washington will both have to wait until Monday’s NCAA selection show at 3:30 p.m. (PST) to see if they will also make the tournament field.