BURNABY, BC – Simon Fraser University suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in overtime to Western Oregon Wolves, ending its season earlier then the team had hoped.
 
Simon Fraser needed a victory on the final day of the regular season to clinch the fourth and final into the 2015 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships after Montana State University Billings defeated Central Washington 1-0 earlier in the day.
 
Despite outshooting the visitors 25-19 in the game, and 14-6 in the first half, SFU came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss in a game they needed to win to advance to the post-season for the first in NCAA Division 2.
 
SFU finished the season 7-6-2 overall, its best record in five years, since the team went 11-5-3 in 2010, its first year in NCAA.
 
The first half ended scoreless, but it was not without a few close chances for the Clan. In the 31st minute the Clan fired three shots towards the Wolves' goal in rapid succession. Off of a corner kick, Olivia Aguilar fired a shot on net, creating a rebound and Christina Dickson followed with two additional chances on net but the Clan's top scorer couldn't find the back of the net.
 
Brooke Steinberg opened the scoring for Western Oregon in the 53rd minute. She was rewarded a free kick 20 yards out from the Clan's goal and made no mistake, firing a shot past goalkeeper Priya Sandhu.
 
Less than a minute later, Clan freshman Katelyn Erhardson, on a great individual effort, tied the game. She picked up the ball in the right corner of the 18 yard box, dribbled towards the net, then took a quick shot, beating the Wolves keeper high left.
 
Knowing they needed a win to reach the GNAC playoffs, SFU pushed hard for the go-ahead goal. They carried play for the majority of the game. The game ended suddenly on a free kick by Western Oregon's Taylor Higa in the 107th minute. 
 
Simon Fraser fired 25 shots towards the Wolves' goalkeepers, forcing them to make 11 saves. Sandhu played a key role in forcing overtime for the Clan. Sandhu faced 19 shots directed towards the Clan goal and made 7 saves. She finished the season with a record of 7-6-2 and six shutouts.
 
SFU took 4 corner kicks while the Wolves had 8.
 
Simon Fraser finished the regular season 7-6-2 (5-6-1 in the GNAC). The Clan finished 5th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. With an overall record of 8-8-1 and a conference record of 4-7-1, Western Oregon finished the season ranked two places below Simon Fraser.  
 
Simon Fraser is hosting the 2015 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships.
 
The tournament begins Thurs., Nov. 5 on Terry Fox Field. The seminfinal matches will take place at 4 and 7 PM on Thursday. The championship match will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
 
The first match on day one of the tournament will feature No. 2 seed Concordia against No. 3 seed Seattle Pacific. The Falcons are the two-time defending GNAC tournament champions. The Falcons upset Western Washington each season in a shootout. Concordia reaches the conference tournament in its first season as a member of the GNAC. Although they are eligible to win the GNAC championships, they are not eligible for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Montana State Billings snuck into the No. 4 spot after breaking away from a three-way tie for fourth place entering the final day of the regular season. They will be opposed by No. 1 seed Western Washington, who stormed through the regular season with an undefeated record of 11-0-1, which included a 14-match winning streak.
 
The two winners in the semifinal round will meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. The champion of the tournament will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament, which begins on Nov. 12.
 
All three matches of the women's soccer championship can be viewed live on GNAC.TV.
 
Tickets to the tournament can be purchased at Terry Fox Field with cash only. Both U.S. and Canadian currency will be accepted, but change will only be provided in Canadian dollars. Tickets can also be purchased online via credit card. Online ticket sales end Nov. 4 at 8 PM. Online tickets can be purchased here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-gnac-womens-soccer-championship-tickets-18404915598
 
Western Washington is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II West Region Poll, which decides the six teams that will be invited to the national tournament. Seattle Pacific is ranked No. 5. The final polls will be released on Nov. 9 at 3:30 PM
 
--@SFUClan--