After seven preseason games, the UFV women’s soccer team looks to be getting the results they were hoping for heading into the regular season. Despite starting the preseason with a 6-2 loss against the Eastern Washington Eagles, the Cascades were able to turn the month around with a 4-3 record overall.
Although the first game in the preseason saw the Cascades down by three within the first nine minutes, a pair of goals late in the game from Bryana Buttar and Simi Lehal kept the Cascades from being shut out in their first outing of the year.
The Cascades were able to bounce back with a four-win streak against the Idaho Vandals, Northwest Eagles, Western Washington Vikings, and Simon Fraser Clan. The first two of these four games saw the Cascades defeat the Vandals and Eagles both with a score of 2-1, while the second pair of games saw them shut out both the Vikings and Clan.
Unfortunately for the Cascades, they weren’t able to continue this streak through their last weekend of the preseason. Starting out the weekend at home, the Cascades hosted the Concordia Cavaliers in a 3-2 game, favouring the Cavaliers. The Cascades second goal by Bryana Buttar brought them to within one goal in the 55th minute, but the Cascades were not able to capture another one.
The final game for the Cascades’ preseason against the Seattle Pacific Falcons saw them down by two early in the game. With a pair of goals from Brittney Zacharuk and Kate Fisher, the Cascades were able to tie the score before halftime. While the score remained tied for most of the game after half, the Falcons were able to net two goals near the end of regulation, finishing the game with a 4-2 score for the Falcons.
This preseason was a success for the Cascades for many reasons other than the final scores of each game. It is important to note that during the regular season, the UFV women’s soccer team will not see any of these teams. All of the universities the Cascades have faced over the month of August are from the NCAA’s division two, except division one’s Eastern Washington University.
The UFV women’s soccer team begin their regular season on the road with two back-to-back games against the University of Victoria on Friday, Sept. 6 and University of British Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Image: UFV Flickr
