Capers eye redemption at CIS championship

They got knocked down, but the Cape Breton University Capers women's soccer team hopes to get back up again.

On the heels of Sunday’s crushing defeat in the Atlantic University Sport final on home turf, the Capers will play the Ottawa Gee-Gees in today’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship quarter-final in Victoria, B.C.

The previously undefeated Capers lost Sunday’s matchup 3-1 to the Dalhousie Tigers, who captured their second straight AUS banner.

The Capers ended their regular season as the No. 1-ranked AUS team with a 10-0-3 record.

Head coach Stephen (Ness) Timmons said the Capers arrived in Victoria early Tuesday morning. After an adjustment day, the Capers held a practice on Wednesday at the University of Victoria’s turf.

The eight-team, single-elimination CIS tournament gets underway today at the Centennial Stadium and culminates on Sunday with the gold medal final scheduled for 6 p.m. Atlantic time. All 11 games from the competition will be webcast live on CIS-SIC.tv.

The Capers suit up against the Gee-Gees today at 3 p.m. Atlantic time.

“They’re the only team left in the country undefeated after we were beat on Sunday,” said Timmons. “So they’re a quality team for sure. We’re OK with that draw. We don’t mind playing the No. 1 team.”

If the Capers defeat Ottawa they will move to a semifinal against either Dalhousie or the Queen’s University Gaels.

The Gaels are looking for a historic three-peat this week in Victoria as they hope to become the first team to claim three straight national titles in women’s soccer since the inaugural CIS championship was held in 1987.

“We can play an up tempo-type direct game,” said Timmons. “We may have to sit back at times but we want to be able to do both styles. We want to be able to push when it’s on and be able to drop and defend when that presents itself also.

The Capers must win three in a row in order to win CIS gold.

This will be the seventh time the women’s team will compete for the CIS title. The teams last appearance was in 2010 when they tied for seventh place.

In 2007, the Capers won gold during the CIS championships hosted in Cape Breton.