Sydney, NS – The StFX X-Women punched their ticket to the AUS final with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Acadia Axewomen in the Subway AUS semifinal game played early Friday afternoon on n a wet, rainy day at Cape Breton University.
Fourth year striker and AUS first team all-star Kelsey Ellis (Ottawa, ON) connected on a penalty kick awarded in extra time to give StFX the win after Amanda Smith (Ottawa, ON) was brought down in the box by an Axewomen defender.
Her low shot beat Acadia keeper Sarah Charnock (Newmarket, ON) who dove the other way as the game came to dramatic conclusion after it looked like both teams were heading to overtime play.
With the win the fifth seeded StFX X-Women advance to the AUS championship game slated for Sunday at 1:00 pm. They await the winner of the other AUS semifinal game featuring the top seeded Cape Breton Capers and the sixth seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks for their opponent.
The game featured a very physical opening half as each team battled for ball possession and to generate scoring chances. Acadia had more shots on nets than the X-Women but none that resulted in any goals as the game remained scoreless after the opening 45 minutes of play.
The second half continued with fast-paced, aggressive play as each team fought hard to score. The Axewomen had several corner kicks late in the game but Emma Kuzmyk (Cookstown, ON) held her ground in the StFX net.
StFX all-star midfielder Mercy Myles (Accra, Ghana) earned Subway player of the game honours for her playmaking skills. Charnock was the Subway player of the game for the Axewomen.
The championship game will take place Sunday at 1:00 pm with the winner advancing to the U SPORTS national championship in Ottawa.
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