Vikes women rack up the soccer victories
Like all true snipers in sport, Kiara Kilbey said she was born to score.
“I love scoring goals . . . I was always a striker,” said Kilbey, who counted two more Saturday at Centennial Stadium, as the University of Victoria Vikes defeated the UNBC Timberwolves 3-0 to win their fifth consecutive women’s soccer game in Canada West.
The offensive threat out of Stelly’s Secondary has five goals in the past two games and eight on the season as the Vikes, ranked No. 8 in the U Sports national rankings, moved to 6-1-1.
“You can’t do it alone and my teammates have been setting me up,” said Kilbey, a third-year kinesiology major.
The Vikes are challenging for the conference lead and that is no accident.
“We are capable of going all the way to the nationals,” said Kilbey.
Vikes coach Tracy David is happy to have such a presence up front. “[Kilbey] reads the game well and is quick,” she said.
UVic’s other goal came from midfielder Emily Lieuwen, a fourth-year academic allCanadian from Ladner majoring in chemistry for medical sciences, with plans to become a veterinarian.
UVic goalkeeper Puck Louwes, a sixfoot-one graduate of Reynolds Secondary born in the Netherlands, recorded her third consecutive clean sheet as the Vikes outshot the Timberwolves 19-4.
UNBC fell to 2-5. The Vikes, meanwhile, prepare to face the MacEwan Griffins of Edmonton at 5 p.m. today at Centennial Stadium.
“We have some good teams coming up, but we are confident, and have good chemistry,” David said.
“I think we may surprise some people.” VIKES HOOPS: With the Toronto Raptors training camp over, the UVic Vikes got their CARSA Gym back Friday night, and opened the annual Guy Vetrie men’s basketball tournament with a decisive 87-63 victory over the Guelph Gryphons before a lively crowd of about 1,500.
The seven-time national champion Carleton Ravens, who have 13 Canadian titles in the past 15 years, were trailing, but avoided the upset by rallying for an 82-79 victory over the Concordia Stingers.
The undefeated Ravens and Vikes meet tonight at 7 in CARSA in a hotly anticipated meeting of current and former Canadian hoops dynasties.