Miller tallies twice to send X-Women to AUS final

STFX moves to to play for AUS gold 

(SYDNEY, N.S.) – The top-ranked STFX X-Women defeated the fourth-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks 3-1 in a semi-final match Friday morning at the Cape Breton University-hosted 2023 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Women's Soccer Championship, presented by Bell.

With the victory, the X-Women will play for a conference banner on Sunday – at 1 p.m. ADT – versus the winner of Friday's other semi-final match between the Acadia Axewomen and host CBU Capers.   

Early in the first half, the undefeated X-Women took early control – possession-wise – which they did not relinquish for the bulk of the first half. 

In the 43rd minute, Amanda Smith (Ottawa, ON) – off a counter attack by the X-Women – opened the scoring with a sensational sliding strike from just outside the 18-yard box that found the top corner behind Sea-Hawks keeper Shannon Galway (St. John's, NL). 

The X-Women led 1-0 at halftime. 

In the second half, the Sea-Hawks fashioned the equalizer, keyed by the speed of Claire Langille, whose run down the flank led to a corner kick opportunity. Off that set piece, in the 53rd minute, junior fullback Sarah Jones (Marystown, NL) made a short pass to Langille (Windsor Junction, NS), who carried the ball into box and then made a cross that deflected off of a STFX defender and into the net to knot the contest 1-1. 

In the 59th minute, Lauren Reid (Kanata, ON) came close to regaining the White and Blue advantage, but she rang a shot off the goal post behind Galway. 

STFX went up 2-1, in the 62nd minute, when Aidan Miller (Chilliwack, BC) took a feed at the top of the box – with a stellar first touch – and then uncoiled a strike that tucked inside the left goal post. 

Seconds later, the X-Women came within inches of doubling their edge, when freshman midfielder Cheyenne Bower (London, ON) laced a shot off the crossbar – from 25 yards away – that deflected off the right hand of Galway behind going out of bounds,. 

Just more than two minutes after her first marker – in the 64th – Miller got behind the Memorial defense and collected a long pass inside the six-yard box that she put home off the outstretched right foot of Galway to make it 3-1. 

The best scoring chance for the Sea-Hawks, as they gamely tried to rally from the two-goal deficit, came off the foot of junior fullback Claire Kean (St. John's, NL), who curled a left-footed strike that headed for the far goal post, but Gentile made a diving stop – her best of the contest.  

Miller garnered player of the match. 

STFX outshot Memorial 26-3, including 13-2 in shots on goal.  

The victory for the X-Women is their 13th consecutive triumph, coming after posting a 12-0-0 record the in AUS regular season. 

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