Vikes dominated in scoring attempts, while both goalkeepers made critical saves
Photo by Gabriel Lunn.
The Vikes Women’s Soccer team hosted the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades in a high shooting-attempt match at Centennial Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 14. The home team out-shot UFV, however neither team was able to successfully score, resulting in a 0-0 tie.
“I thought we did really well,” said Vikes Head Coach Tracy David. “We out-shot UFV today. Their goalkeeper made some really good saves and kept us off the score sheet. I thought we generated some really good scoring chances — unfortunately for us they didn’t go in.”
Players from both teams made driving rushes towards the nets, and during penalty kicks defensive positions were contested by players on both teams, earning calls from referees. In total, the Vikes collected 4 fouls compared to UFV’s six.
Vikes goalie McKenna Jaine made one crucial save, leaping to catch an overhead penalty kick during the second half that saved the Vikes in a critical moment. Jaine was the only goalkeeper during the match, playing the full 90 minutes.
“Defense wasn’t what cost us the game,” said David. “Defensively, there wasn’t a lot to do. But when we had to we did it.”
Both teams displayed cohesive defense that thwarted the other’s opposition. David states that the Vikes’ primary task going forward is to complete precise scoring attempts.
“We created enough chances [but] we didn’t score … we just have to keep working hard. It will come.”
Ruby Nicholas, fourth year Vikes forward, took the most shots of the game with four attempts, two of which were on target. Nicholas was named Canada West Player of the Year for women’s soccer in 2024.
David also highlighted the efforts of fourth year midfielder Taiya Scorey, who demonstrated two shooting attempts during the match, including a header.
“[Scorey] played very well. She hit a header going under the crossbar, and the [UFV] goalkeeper made a great save.”
The Vikes displayed a dominant effort in the first half of the match, outshooting the Cascades 8-1 and eventually closing out with 12-2 in score attempts. Cascades goalie Alana Madec held a formidable presence defending the net, collecting six saves across the match’s full duration.
The game marked the second match by Vikes against UFV this season. In their first match, the Vikes out-scored the Cascades 5-0 on Aug. 23. This time, however, while making significantly more score attempts, both teams were unable to score.
The Vikes played a second game that weekend, on Sept. 12, which David said was a “fantastic game” against the Trinity Western University Spartans.
“We didn’t come out with a win either there, which is too bad,” David said. “But we’re [staying] positive and will keep working and things will come.”
This season follows one of the Vikes’ strongest campaigns in recent years. During the 2024–2025 season, the team finished 9-5-5, earning the Canada West silver medal. The accolade was the team’s first conference medal since 2017, and placed them in national title competition at the 2024 U Sports Women’s Soccer Championship.
The Vikes move to 2-2-2 for the season, and will be on an extended break before their match against the University of Northern BC Timberwolves on Sept. 26 at Centennial Stadium.
David said the Vikes women’s team will continue to work on completing scoring attempts as they look to the season ahead. “We’re going to keep working hard. We know where we want to go.”
