Women's squad making noise in OUA

By Matthew Jordan

The women’s soccer team crushed the Brock Badgers on Saturday with a decisive 4-0 victory at Ron Joyce Stadium resulting from their solid performance on both ends of the field..

A strong game from the McMaster Marauders could not come at a better time for the ladies, as they begin their climb of the OUA East table.

The game was an overall team effort from Mac, starting with the stellar defensive play which gave way to a multitude of chances on the offensive end.

McMaster shared the scoring as well with four different Marauders finding the back of the net.

From the opening kick-off, Mac controlled the pace of play by retaining consistent possession of the ball, which generated a few quality chances in the opening minutes.

After two consecutive corner kicks put Mac in scoring position, forward Alicjia Giftopolous capitalized on her own rebound to put the Marauders on the board in the 30th minute.

Brock was quick to respond with its own scoring effort just seven minutes later, but to no avail as Mac’s keeper would maintain the shutout.

Forward Melissa Giancanterino maneuvered past Mac goalkeeper Jocelyn Wilkins at the top of the penalty box, giving her a wide, open net.

However, just as her shot was about to enter the goal, defender Cristina Leonardelli appeared out of nowhere to make the spectacular stop that kept the Badgers scoreless.

The first half would end 1-0, but the Maroon and Grey came out strong in the second half, netting two goals by defender Sophia Ykema and midfielder Alyssa Fenuta in the 58th and 64th minute, respectively.

The remainder of the game’s regular time was relatively uneventful, although stoppage time proved quite exciting.

The Badgers almost cracked the goose egg with a quality on-target shot in the 91st minute that was deftly stopped by Brittany Duffey, who played keeper in the second half of the match.

This sound defensive effort resulted in a quick response from Mac forward Stephanie Davis who netted a goal to seal the deal for the Marauders.

This victory comes in the wake of a 0-1 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks last week.

The girls hope to use the momentum from this big win to redeem themselves.

The squad based out of Waterloo is one of the best teams in the country, ranked third in the country as of Oct. 2nd.

The Golden Hawks, who are currently undefeated on the season, sit atop the OUA West with 26 points, while the Marauders are in 4th place, tied with York with 17 points.

Following Saturday’s game against Laurier is a matchup against the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday, who are currently near the bottom of the table with 7 points.

Both of these games are taking place at Ron Joyce Stadium and are crucial wins for the Marauders if they want to remain competitive in the second half of the season.