In the face of terrible conditions, the Holland College Hurricanes weathered the storm.

The Hurricanes proved themselves worthy of the top seed for this weekend's ACAA Women's Soccer Championship, as they defeated the Mount St. Vincent University Mystics 2-0 to capture their second straight conference championship at Wickwire Field in Halifax.

"To be back on the field playing for Holland College in this league, it felt like a dream come true," said Hurricanes striker Emily Lepine, who scored Holland College's second goal. "I was on the team that won the championships in 2019, so to have the chance to be back-to-back champions, there was no way I'm letting that go."

Emily Cormier also scored for the Hurricanes, while keeper Brianna Spencer hung tough throughout the match to preserve the clean sheet, making several key saves along the way.

It didn't take long for the wicked weather to make its presence known at Wickwire Field, with driving rain and wind slowing the pace of the game and turning it into more of a grinding affair, with the majority of the first half was contested in the midfield.

"Honestly, you just gotta work with it, because you can't control it," Spencer said of the conditions. "It's really just a team effort, and I'm really glad that we all came together to win."

Eventually, Cormier opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, navigating past Mystics keeper Morgan Gillis, who had come out to challenge, before tucking the ball into the empty net for her second of the weekend, giving Holland College a 1-0 lead they took into halftime.

The Mystics came out pressing in the second half, generating opportunities as the game progressed. Their best opportunity came in the 71st minute after some traffic led to a bouncing ball in the box. Rookie of the Year Kayley Clair got a shot off from in tight, but Spencer was there to make her best save of the match.

"You just gotta kinda stay calm, because if you panic, then there's no chance you're gonna get the ball," Spencer said of the save. "I was pretty nervous, because I thought it was gonna go in, but I'm just glad I got a hand on it."

While Spencer remained humble, Lepine praised her keeper's efforts.

"That save she made won us the game," she said. "We were only up 1-0 at that point. If that went in, 1-1, completely different game. I think that save right there was a huge game changer."

Five minutes later, Lepine iced it for the Hurricanes, as the First Team All-Conference member took a beautiful through ball and dribbled around Gillis, then calmly slipped it into the open net for her third goal of the weekend.

Again, Lepine referenced the significance of Spencer's previous save in helping shift the team's mentality.

"It was getting to the point where they were getting too many good opportunities on the ball, so I feel like when that one came, we all thought it was in, and then it just missed the post," she said. "I feel like it that was a big click in our brains, game changer moment to make us realize we needed to pick it up a little bit and at least get one more."

From there, the Mystics pressed through to the end to try and get something on the board and mount a comeback, but Spencer slammed the door.

The Hurricanes will now represent the ACAA at the 2021 CCAA Women's Soccer Championship, to be hosted by Humber College in Toronto from Nov. 11-14.

Lepine, who also played on the national stage with the Hurricanes in 2019, recognizes the test ahead of them, and believes the team needs to go in with the right mindset.

"We're very good technically on the ball, but we also have a great chemistry as a team together," she said. "I don't think there's a single person on the team that doesn't like another person. We're all very close, it's like a family."

Spencer also believes her side has the potential to turn in a strong performance in Calgary.

"We've grown together so much over the past few months, and I think we're all ready for nationals, and I think it's going to be good," she said.