VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The U SPORTS Canada West women’s soccer playoff races are only getting hotter as the air gets a little cooler in Canada’s westernmost provinces.

Although several schools have just completed their fall reading weeks, the season has yet to take a rest on the field as teams battle for final playoff positions in the final weekend of the season .

Here’s a quick look at the situation heading into the October weekend. 12 – Oct. 14.

The top five in each division will qualify for this year’s playoffs. Yeah. 4 then plays number 4. 5 in a play-in game before the winner plays No. 1 in the cross-over division. Yeah. 2 then plays number 2. 3, also crossing.

READ MORE U SPORTS COVERAGE

Pacific Division

The Pacific Division of U SPORTS Canada West women’s soccer is home to some of the top contenders for the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship title, led by none other than perennial Canada West favorites, the UBC Thunderbirds.

UBC enters the final weekend without much weight on its shoulders, having secured first place in the division a week prior with a pair of 6-0 victories over the UNBC Timberwolves. Led by the play of senior forward Katalin Tolnai, third-year defender Sophia Ferreira and freshman center Sarah Rollins, the Thunderbirds will want to enter the playoffs in top form as they close out their schedule against the TRU Wolfpack and the UBCO Heat.

Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver’s opponents, the TWU Spartans, have also clinched their playoff spot and also appear to be in second place, a position that would allow them to host a team from the Prairies in the first round of the playoffs. This third seeded team would for the moment be the Calgary Dinos, but that is far from certain. TWU finishes its regular season campaign with matches against the MRU Cougars and Victoria Vikes.

UBCO clinched, and everyone except UNBC is aiming for the playoffs

After the top two seeds, the Pacific division becomes much more interesting. On paper, only one team, the UNBC Timberwolves, is eliminated. However, the Heat clinched a playoff spot.

Led by Canada West Golden Boot leader Stefanie Young, the UBCO Heat currently sit in third place, but have 23 points with two matches remaining. Meanwhile, fourth-placed Victoria Vikes are just one game in hand, with 20 points and two games remaining.

All of this is complicated by the fact that UFV Cascades could win its final two games, which, if Victoria and UBCO both lose twice, would give UFV the third seed heading into the playoffs.

Indeed, these are a critical two weeks to finish the season, as avoiding 4-on-5 play-in games is essential for any team hoping to make a deep playoff run.

UBCO faces a final weekend against UNBC, a likely win for them, and UBC, a potential draw. To secure the third seed heading into the final match, the Kelowna school must win or draw against UNBC and lose points to UFV and Victoria.

UBCO holds the tiebreaker against Victoria, if it came down to that.

For Victoria to fight their way to third place and avoid the play-in match, they would need wins against UFV and TWU while building on the points lost by UBCO in their last two matches.

Overall, the most crucial game of the weekend will be Victoria against the Cascades on Friday night. A draw in this game secures Victoria a playoff spot while putting postseason hopes down to the final day for UFV. If one of the teams wins, they clinch a spot in the playoffs.

For the Cascades, the weekend comes with the crucial match in Victoria, where a victory would secure their place. However, the season could come down to their final game against the MRU Cougars, which could prove to be effectively a play-in for the play-in.

If MRU beat TWU on Friday and UFV doesn’t win in Victoria, the final matchup of the season between these two teams would decide the final playoff spot. For MRU, the most likely weekend required for the playoffs is between two wins or a win and a tie.

Even though they enter the final weekend as the second-to-last team in the division, the TRU Wolfpack could return to the playoffs if they win their two games against top-ranked UBC and UNBC. However, this seems unlikely.

It’s an exciting time for the Pacific Division, and the final weekend for almost every program is approaching – what more could a football fan ask for?

Prairie Division

U SPORTS Canada’s Prairie West division has had quite the season, and every playoff position is decided on the final weekend of the campaign, with some high-profile teams missing key contributors.

Heading into each team’s final two games, the MacEwan Griffins, Saskatchewan Huskies and Calgary Dinos have clinched a playoff spot, while the Alberta Pandas and Manitoba Bisons head into the last week as number 1. 4 and no. 5 teams, looking to secure spots.

After a record and electrifying start to the season for Grace Mwasalla and the MacEwan Griffinsthe team had to figure things out in her absence, as she was injured in late September.

Nonetheless, they enter the final weekend as the team most likely to clinch first place in the division, with 28 points with two games remaining against the Calgary Dinos and Lethbridge Pronghorns, with a win in the one or the other match, clinching the top seed on their own. agreement. By the same token, they could even finish first with two losses, if the Saskatchewan Huskies lost twice and Calgary lost on the final day.

At this point, it’s almost certain that MacEwan will take first place and host the winner of the Pacific Division play-ins.

The final weekend will feature a heated race for second place in the Prairie Division, with a first-round home game on the line for whoever emerges victorious. Saskatchewan and Calgary are both competing for this spot.

The Huskies hold the advantage thanks to the strength of their schedule, facing a Winnipeg Wesmen team that finished last and eliminated while also facing an inconsistent Manitoba Bisons. Meanwhile, the Dinos face number 1. 1 MacEwan and Albert.

The favorite to take number 1. 2nd place is undoubtedly Saskatchewan, considering the opponents. However, Calgary only has to overcome a one-point, tiebreaker deficit – an achievable task for head coach Diego Raposo’s group.

Playing places to win

With two teams eliminated, the Wesmen and the Pronghorns, there are three teams, all within five points of each other, seeking the two spots in the play-in match.

The Alberta Pandas have the upper hand in the race, with 15 points with games against Lethbridge and Calgary remaining, while Manitoba currently sits in fifth and final position with 12 points, with games against the Regina Cougars and Saskatchewan on the program.

Friday night’s matchup between Manitoba and Regina will likely clinch the final playoff spot, as Alberta is favored to at least draw, if not win, against Lethbridge. If Regina and Manitoba tied, the race would go down to the final day.

Overall, it’s an exciting time of year for Canada West soccer and U SPORTS.