TORONTO, ON – Ella Chase scored a brace on Monday as the University of Ottawa women’s soccer team defeated Mexico’s Monterrey Institute of Technology 3-1 to pick up their second win of the FISU Americas Championship.
Coming off a tournament-opening 4-0 win over Brazil’s University Salgado de Oliveira, the Gee-Gees moved to six points with the victory over the host nation’s school as they continue their search for a gold medal at the Merida 2022 FISU Americas Games.
Chase, a native of Waterloo, Ont., began the game leading uOttawa’s attack, which played on the front foot all game, before finding an early breakthrough in the 15th minute. Trinity Esrpit picked up the ball in midfield and passed centrally to Nibo Dlamini, who sent a through ball for Chase to run onto before finishing to give uOttawa the 1-0 lead.
However, Monterey pushed back six minutes after the opening tally, levelling the match at 1-1 in the 21st minute. Yet, head coach Seve Johnston and the Gee-Gees rebounded quickly, possessing the ball and generating chances to hold the match at a draw heading into halftime.
The Gee-Gees pressure paid off in the 66th minute, as Olvia Allen got to the ball first on a corner kick before sending a shot on goal, which ricocheted off a Monterrey defender and into the back of the goal. While Allen, who scored in the opening match, wasn’t credited with the goal, the Gee-Gees didn’t look back from that point.
Chase added her second of the match, uOttawa’s third in the 78th minute, as the Gee-Gees saw the 3-1 win and moved to 2-0-0 and six points in the group stage.
With the wins secured, uOttawa turns focus to their final group on Oct. 19 (7:00 pm ET) match against a familiar foe, Brazil’s Paulista University, which they matched up with in the 2019 FISU World Cup Final. If the Gee-Gees win, they top group stage play and would be the highest seed heading into the semifinals on the weekend.
Cover Photo: uOttawa Gee-Gees Women’s Soccer Twitter