A quarter-final match-up with the sixth seeded University of Lethbridge Pronghorns was the only thing standing between the Huskies women’s soccer team and hosting the Canada West Final 6 playdowns.

On a brisk fall afternoon, the Huskies made quick work of the Pronghorns, using three first half goals — all in a span of eight minutes — to punch their ticket to the next round of the CanWest playoffs. Leesa Eggum, Erica Hindmarsh and Jenelle Zapski all scored late in the first half to propel the Huskies to a decisive 3–0 win.

Head coach Jerson Barandica-Hamilton was proud of his team’s effort, but knows they still have a long way to go this season.

“It was one of our goals to get to the Final 6, but we’re not satisfied. We’ve kept getting better every weekend and that’s what we set out to do. This is a reward for the girls, this is the fun part — we get to enjoy this, I’m very excited,” said Barandica-Hamilton. “The girls were focused and it was a team effort, from the first 11 that started to the last 11 that finished. We made five or six subs and a lot of first years got a chance. A full team effort is what we needed and I’m very excited for them.”

Using an extremely strong defensive back line allowed the Huskies to maintain possession for a majority of the match. Defenders Jenn Miller, Carmen Gorlick and Erica Parenteau all played exceptionally, limiting the time and space that the Lethbridge attackers had with the ball. The Pronghorns only mustered up two shots on target during the game, with Kyleigh Vause easily handling both.

A strong defensive showing was part of the game plan according to Gorlick, and the Huskies executed it to perfection.

“We’ve been taking it one game at a time and we knew we had to come out and win every single 50-50 ball, because that’s kind of what we were lacking last time we played them. So that was partof our focus, and we wanted to come out strong,” Gorlick said.

With the Huskies applying plenty of pressure in the early going, Erica Hindmarsh worked the ball down low and fired a high cross to the back post where Leesa Eggum was positioned perfectly to head it home and give the Dogs a 1–0 lead.

Hindmarsh was one of the Huskies’ most dangerous players all game, generating plenty of scoring chances for herself and her teammates. She was rewarded for her hard work with a goal in the 37th minute, from a corner kick that deflected off a Pronghorn defender and into the net. Just three minutes after that, she picked up her second assist of the match — as Jenelle Zapski finished off another Hindmarsh corner kick, stretching the lead to 3–0.

As the team advances to the next round, they know the competition will ramp up from here on out.

“The pace at which the game will be played next weekend is going to be much quicker. There are some very, very good teams coming in, so we need to adjust to that. We just have to continue working on the little details and continue getting better,” said Barandica-Hamilton.

Finishing with the best record in the East division of the CanWest, the Huskies have earned the right to host the Final 6. From there, two teams will qualify for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships. With five quality opponents coming into town next weekend, home field advantage could be a difference maker for the Huskies.

“We’re super excited,” Gorlick said. “It’s a huge advantage, first of all, to be hosting on our home field and also in front of our amazing fans who have supported us throughout the year; we’re really excited.”