By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

BURNABY, B.C. – A back-and-forth match went the way of the home team Thursday night at Terry Fox Field, as No. 2 seed Simon Fraser held off No. 3 seed Western Oregon 1-0 in the semifinals of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championships.
 
Senior Chelsea Crocq scored her fourth-career goal and her first since the 2023 campaign, slotting home what proved to be the game-winner in the 36th minute. SFU goalkeeper Sarah Loewen collected her 30th-career shutout, making four saves while facing a steady barrage of shots – 13 in total – from the Western Oregon attack.
 
The win pits Simon Fraser (13-2-4) against top-seed Western Washington in Saturday’s GNAC championship match, scheduled for at 2:30 p.m. (Pacific) kickoff. It will be the third straight tournament that the two meet in the title tilt, with SFU capturing each of the last two tournament trophies. The Red Leafs will bid to join WWU as the only other team to win three consecutive GNAC Championships titles, with the Vikings achieving that feat from 2015-17.
 
Crocq’s goal was the result of one of many brilliant runs of play by forward Kaiden Sherwood. After her tricky, long range shot deflected off WOU goalkeeper Bella Lopez, Crocq streaked forward into an open box and punched the loose ball into the back of an open net. Sherwood was constantly an issue for the Wolves’ back line on Thursday, delivering multiple crosses into dangerous areas in the box and rattling the crossbar with her nearest shot attempt of the evening.
 
Despite numerous chances on Thursday, WOU was kept out of the net. Midfielder Ciara Garcia was excellent throughout the night and posted a match-leading four shots – one on frame – and newcomer Kaitlin Taylor had three shots including two on target. Midfielder Ally Beavers delivered cross after cross towards goal on myriad set pieces, among them seven corner kicks throughout the evening.
 
But the SFU back line remained organized and calm in the most trying of situations to come through with the win. Elyse Beaudry, Eve LaFontaine, Kate Smith and Abbey Simpson were the glue for the majority of the match, and SFU also received a notable boost from freshman Emi MacAdam and sophomore Isabella Santoianni on the defensive unit as well.
 
Loewen’s shutout moved her into sole possession of No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list, and she also climbed into a tie for 13th on the conference career leaderboard in saves with 277. Crocq’s game-winner was the second of her collegiate career, with the other coming in her first-collegiate match as a freshman on Aug. 26, 2022 in a 1-0 win over MSU Denver.
 
Western Oregon’s season came to a close at 11-4-5 overall, and the Wolves placed third in the conference standings.