Trojans cruise to gold medal birth over Rustlers

Lloydminster, AB - The second semi-final of the women's side featured the South's top team, SAIT Trojans, against the host Lakeland Ruslters. Both teams boasted a healthy section of fans in the Lakeland College gymnasium for the morning game, with a spot in the championship final on the line.

The game began with high intensity on the Trojans' behalf, with the visiting team having plenty of shots on goal early on. The first goal for SAIT came from Nikki Charlton, followed quickly by their second, from ACAC All-Conference Second Team player Ashlyn Grant. The Trojans continued to pressure the Rustlers' defence, maintaining a high-paced match. Tiona Paton scored the third goal of the half for the Trojans, forcing the Rustlers to take a timeout. Peyton Arnott came in as the goalkeeper to finish off the first half and proved to be effective for Lakeland in the remaining minutes.

North First-Team All-Conference striker Gracie Smithson opened the scoring for the Rustlers with a goal early in the second half. Charlton netted her second with a great shot from the left wing in the minutes following. Lakeland had a few great attempts to close the gap throughout the half, but the Trojans' defence remained focused and effective. Grant scored her second goal of the game, followed by a goal from Isabel Vega to give the Trojans a commanding 5-goal lead. An additional goal late from the Trojans resulted in a 7-1 victory, catapulting them to the ACAC Championship game.

Katelyn Dyck was awarded Player of the Game for the Lakeland College Rustlers, and Nikki Charlton earned the nod for the SAIT Trojans.