Women's soccer splits weekend matches

It was a weekend of mixed results for the McMaster Marauder’s women’s soccer team. The squad sits third in the OUA West conference after the ladies split two games over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Marauders headed to the University of Guelph to take on an opponent who sits only two positions behind Mac in the standings. The Maroon and Grey expected a hard-fought battle with playoff implications looming over both teams, but the Marauders fell at the hands of the Gryphons.
The first half would see a strong performance from McMaster; the Gryphon goalkeeper put the team on her back and refused to allow any goals from the Maroon attack.
In the second, the goalkeeper spotlight would be put on McMaster’s Brittany Duffey, who parried a strike from a pressing Guelph forward to maintain the tie.
But the tie would not last, as in the final minute of play the Gryphons would break the stalemate after a shot bounced off the crossbar, found a Gryphon forward’s end, and ended in the back of the Marauder goal. The deflating loss would not carry over however, as the women bounced back immediately in Sunday’s contest against the UOIT Ridgebacks. The women took the victory over the Ridgebacks, who are locked in a tight playoff race in the lower half of the playoff bracket.
Mac’s lone goal of the contest game in the 30th minute from team captain Mel Van Der Hoop. The score would be enough to surge McMaster to victory as the team rode a steady offense and solid goaltending to their eighth win of the 2012 season.
Only three games remain in the Marauder’s regular season. Currently, McMaster sits in 3rd place in the OUA West conference, three points behind the Western University Mustangs and six points behind the Laurier Golden Hawks.
The first of three games is against the York Lions, a team only two points behind the Marauders. A win in this Wednesday match-up would create an almost insurmountable lead over the Lions and secure at least a third place finish the OUA West, given the Marauders win at least one other game.
On Friday, McMaster will travel to the University of Windsor to face the Lancers, who have only one win to their name. The final game of the regular season will be at Western, with a possible opportunity to leapfrog the Mustangs to take second-place.
Although who their match-up will be is unclear, the Marauders are in OUA playoff contention and the first game will be on Wednesday, Oct. 24.