The Douglas College Royals’ opportunity to play for a bronze medal in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s national championship for women’s soccer came down to their goaltender.
Not just the save Alexa Gazzola made in a penalty kick shootout in Friday’s bronze medal semifinal against the NAIT Ooks. But she also scored the decisive goal with a right-foot chip that sailed past her Alberta rival, Toni Burse.
Gazzola’s scoring prowess put the Royals out of reach, 4-2, in the penalty kicks and put them through to the match for third place, Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam.
Douglas, ranked eighth in the country headed into the tournament they automatically qualified for as its host, will play the winner of the other semi-final between Vancouver Island University and the Fanshawe Falcons.
The championship final will be played between two Quebec schools, Champlain St-Lambert Cavaliers and Elans de Garneau, at 3 p.m.
Neither Douglas nor NAIT were able to score in regulation or overtime, setting up the dramatic finale. It was the first game in the eight-team tournament to go to penalty kicks.
Sam Kell, Mikayla Hamilton and Mikaela Montagano scored on their penalty kicks. Gazzola stopped the first shot she faced, then allowed a pair of goals. But after Ooks’ midfielder Yuri Akatsu fired her shot wide, the Royals’ keeper was tapped to clinch the win.
Douglas stayed in medal contention with a 4-1 over the SAIT Trojans on Thursday after dropping their opening match against Elans de Garneau on Wednesday.
