QUEBEC -- The Cape Breton Capers needed penalty kicks to defeat the Carleton Ravens 1-0 Thursday in the opening game of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer championship.
With the two sides still equal after five shooters, Wyatt Scheller scored to give the Capers a 4-3 lead in the tiebreaker. Andrew Murphy's save then gave the win to the AUS champions.
Cape Breton will now move on to Friday's first semifinal against the UQTR Patriotes, who defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 2-1 in the second quarter-final.
The second semifinal will be between the UBC Thunderbirds and the Laval Rouge et Or on Friday.
"It was a well played game, both teams had their chances," said Capers coach Robbie Chiasson. "I think we had good scoring chances throughout the game. Kicks from the spot are a pretty cruel way to go home. We were just fortunate it worked our way this time."
Scoring chances were rare in the first half but the Capers controlled the ball most of the time. Cape Breton successfully entered Carleton's territory on a few occasions, with a great scoring opportunity on a corner kick at the 27-minute mark blocked by the Ravens' defence.
Play started to pick up in the second half. The Capers came out strong, applying constant pressure, but were stopped by Ravens goalkeeper Mark Krocko.
When Krocko couldn't make the play, the goal posts were there to help. At the 70th minute, Sandro Rajkovic headed the ball straight onto the woodwork.
"They knew they were technically better than us, but we replied well," said Carleton coach Sandy Mackie. "I thought we had the best chances in the game but we didn't take them. They simply put one away and we didn't.
"We played well. It was a good performance overall from both teams. You just got to move on and hope to learn from it."
The Ravens will take on the Bears in the consolation round.
