BURNABY, B.C. – Sophomore winger Kaiden Sherwood's last-minute stunner was just enough for the SFU Red Leafs women's soccer team (3-2-2, 2-2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) to claim a 1-0 win over the visiting Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks at SFU's home opener on Thursday night.
 
After a hotly contested defensive stalemate saw the two sides fight to a 0-0 score by the 88th minute, a draw seemed to be in the cards for both. Then in the 89th, SFU's Isabella Muzzolini (Maple Ridge, B.C.) sent a ball down the sideline towards the opposing goal. Kate Cartier (Kelowna, B.C.) ran onto the loose ball deep down the left flank in Nighthawks territory. The midfielder placed the ball into the penalty area towards an onrushing Sherwood. Sarah Caravatta (Coquitlam, B.C.) stood between them in the six-yard box, but faked a touch on the ball to give Sherwood the opportunity for a shot.
 
Sherwood, who is from Vernon, B.C., wasted no time, quickly putting a strike towards goalkeeper Bailey Blancett. On its way towards the goal, disaster struck for the Yellowjackets. Laid out to try and obstruct Sherwood's path towards the goal, MSUB defender Kate Bleffert instead managed to deflect the SFU winger's shot from about 12 yards out, into the back of the cage.
 
Red Leafs' interim head coach Carlo Basso had stressed the importance of a strong performance in their home opener and was impressed by what he saw.
 
"The players really showed up today," said Basso, a former SFU men's player who earned his first win on Terry Fox Field as a head coach. "We talked a lot about it being our home opener and playing in front of people – family, friends – who really instilled their love of the game. We talked about harnessing that emotion to fuel us. We played a really good NNU team tonight that's gotten a lot of wins. We dictated play in a lot of moments, and even though we knew they'd make it difficult for us, the players really stepped up in that moment when we needed it."
 
Goalkeeper Sarah Loewen (Burnaby, B.C.) was solid for the Red Leafs, stopping all five shots that came her way. SFU was actually outshot 13-8 through the contest, but few of the attempts truly threatened.
 
The Red Leafs have little time to revel in the dramatic win, as they're set to host the Central Washington Wildcats (2-6-0, 1-2-0) on Saturday, October 7, with the start set slated for 3 p.m. As part of Women's Soccer Community Day, admission will be free of charge.

Season tickets can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-red-leafs-season-passes-men-womens-soccer-and-volleyball-tickets-680344246957

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