Capers fall to AUS rivals

Second-year back Kristy McGregor-Bales finished a rebound in the fifth minute of action for the only goal of the game, which was a rematch of last Sunday’s Atlantic conference final, won 3-1 by Dalhousie.

“Cape Breton are known for getting the early goal, so when we got it, it really helped us settle,” said Dalhousie head coach Jack Hutchinson. “We were lucky with the 1-0 win. I think we still have to learn how to finish in the bigger games.”

McGregor-Bales picked up a loose ball and tapped it in past rookie keeper Amanda Budden. Budden made the initial save on a shot by striker Doriana Homerski but McGregor-Bales followed closely to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. 

The Tigers edged the Capers in first-half possession despite both teams trading scoring opportunities. In the 37th minute, Homerski looked to extend Dalhousie’s lead with a quick turn and direct shot that was well saved by Budden. Cape Breton’s Shanice Maxwell had a speedy break in the 41st minute that looked promising but her shot was blocked by Dalhousie defender Stephanie Crewe.

Dalhousie held on to its advantage 1-0 entering the break.

Tigers striker Bianca Jakisa had a breakaway chance in the 51st minute of play, with a teammate trailing, but she chose to take the shot that was forced wide by Budden. Five minutes later, Jakisa pressured the Capers backline tying a few bodies up, leaving a wide open shot for fourth-year Emma Landry, who couldn’t cash in on the open net.

The Capers almost caught a tying opportunity as sophomore Karolyne Blain knocked one off the inside of the left post that took a bounce into the hands of Tigers keeper Taryn McKenna in the 65th minute. Blain blasted a left-footed shot past the post in the 83rd minute but the Capers were unable to find the equalizer.

“Effort is all you can ask for,” said CIS coach of the year Ness Timmons, whose team came close to finding the tying goal in the second half. “Our subs came in and we told them to go and battle and that’s what they did.”

With the 1-0 victory, the Tigers move on to Saturday’s fifth-place game at 2:30 p.m. PST, while the Capers’ campaign comes to an end.