Pandas soccer faces off against familiar foe in Can West quarterfinal

The Pandas soccer team is entering the playoffs on a roll.

After starting the season with a 1-4-1 record, they won seven of their last eight games to finish the year, enough to earn a shot against the Trinity Western Spartans in their quarterfinal match this weekend.

Head coach Liz Jepsen said that the Pandas are a better team now because of the adversity they faced early in the season.

“Having (adversity) at the beginning of the season, it really makes you dig down,” Jespen said.

“Breezing through the season can give you a misguided representation of where you’re really at.”

Jepsen attributed the Pandas early season struggles to injuries, as the team was without several starters, including fifth year players Jesse Candlish, Annalise Schellenberg, and Magie Zackso. Now that those starters are all back and healthy, the Pandas will go into their quarterfinal at full strength.

The Pandas will be going into the postseason with their fair share of momentum — something that Jepsen said would be helpful for the team.

“I think that it’s really good for the feeling in the locker room, knowing that we can win and knowing that we’re there together,” Jepsen said.

Although she said momentum was a good thing for the Pandas, Jepsen also put emphasis on not letting previous accomplishments get in the way of the team’s approach.

“At this stage of the game, it’s about the game on the day,” Jepsen said.

The Pandas will face a formidable opponent in their quarterfinal in the Trinity Western Spartans, a team they lost to 3-0 earlier this year. The Spartans boast the best offence in Canada West by a healthy margin, leading the league with 37 goals over the course of the season, while surrendering only six. They aren’t any strangers to blowing out their opponents, as they posted four separate wins of four or more goals this year. By contrast, the Pandas only boast one win of that ilk this year, and had a much smaller goal differential of plus three this year.

Jepsen talked about having a disciplined mindset against the Spartans.

“We understand we have a fine team this year, but we all have to apply the strategies and stick to the tactics,” Jepsen said.

“Whatever it is about the strategies and tactics, it’s about buying in and making sure it’s being done on point.”

Even though the Pandas will be in tough in their matchup, Jepsen said she was excited for the opportunity.

“I think it’s exciting to be in a quarterfinal in this stage of the game, and to be tested,” Jepsen said.

“We’re not meeting (Trinity Western) in the final like we have in the past, it’s the quarterfinal, so it’s an exciting opportunity. You have to play with everything you’ve got.”

These two teams have their share of history, meeting in the 2013 Canada West gold medal game, which the Pandas won 2-1. The Spartans would actually end up winning CIS nationals that year though, their second of back-to-back championships, while the Pandas captured bronze.

The Pandas and Spartans will face off on Saturday, Oct. 31, at two p.m.