Brent Mutis
CapU sports information
With six goals, none against, a pair of clean sheets and two victories to start the season, Capilano's women's soccer team made a statement to everyone watching in the PACWEST: we're ready to play so try to keep up.
Looking sharp in an entirely new Under Armour kit, CapU hosted the defending conference champion Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners Saturday at Lillooet Park and earned a 4-0 win on the strength of a pair of goals from fifth-year Alanah Dulong. They followed up Sunday with a 2-0 road win at Langara College to secure six points on opening weekend.
Saturday at home, rookie forward Kaitlyn Johnson opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a beautiful finish after a long drive from captain Julia Peyton on a free kick. Johnson outran the VIU defender, neatly corralled the ball and beat the Mariners keeper with a right-foot blast. She was involved in the Blues offensive attack again when she drew a penalty kick in the 35th minute after being taken down in the area.
It was Dulong that drew the assignment for the kick and made no mistake, blasting a drive to the right side of the net that gave the keeper no chance.
"Alanah stepped in as co-captain this weekend with Julia Peyton and overall, it was just a solid team effort with everyone getting minutes and contributing to a solid start," said Blues head coach Dennis Kindel.
Peyton scored from distance on a free kick in the second half and Dulong added her second, controlling a long cross from Kai Belbin before beating the keeper just inside the near post. Saturday's game was the first in almost two years on the natural grass surface at Lillooet Park. Capilano played home games at Mulgrave School in 2022 but will be back at their North Vancouver campus home in 2023.
On Sunday at Langara, the Blues again struck early with Mya Fraser converting a corner kick from Peyton to put CapU up 1-0 in the sixth minute. Capilano made it 2-0 in the first half with Maya Smith scoring her first of the season, a high loft that baffled the Falcons keeper and settled into the back of the net.
Megan Thitchener was flawless in the Blues net all weekend, earning the second and third clean sheets of her Blues career.
"(She) had two solid performances this weekend with key saves at the moments we needed them," said Kindel, who is a former Blues keeper himself.
The Blues continue the PACWEST schedule next weekend with a home-and-home set against the Douglas College Royals. On Saturday, Sept. 16, Douglas visits CapU in a 1 p.m. start with the Blues heading to Douglas the next day for a noon kickoff.
