Goaltenders shine in 1-1 draw between Dal and UNB

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Dalhousie and UNB fought to a 1-1 draw on Friday night at Wickwire Field in a contest that featured stellar goaltending and firm defensive play.

The first half featured back-and-forth action from both sides.

UNB would open the scoring at 14:05 on fullback George Lawton's (Bolton, UK) first goal of the year.

Freddy Bekkers (Halifax, NS) responded with his fifth tally of the year for Dalhousie just over a minute later though, to even the score at one.

After two goals in the first 15 minutes, both units back lines began to tighten up, as the score remained 1-1 heading into halftime.

The home side had the best shot at breaking the deadlock with just over five minutes left in the first half.

Midfielder Hassan Alnuwaysir (Riyadh, SAU) delivered an accurate shot from just outside the 18-yard box, but was stopped by UNB goalie Evan Barker (Winnipeg, MB).

The second half was a defensive battle, with stellar play from both goaltenders as well, as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

UNB's Alex O'Brien had his team's best chance in the 60th minute as he got his foot on a cross from just inside the box, but TJ Leopold (Bedford, NS) made an excellent diving save.

Bekkers provided his squad with their best opportunity of the contest six minutes later, as he sped past a Varsity Reds defender and delivered an accurate shot from the left side, but this time it was Barker making an impressive diving stop.

The Subway Players of the Game were midfielder Jose Lopez (Calgary, AB) for the Varsity Reds and defender Pawel Gorski (Halifax, NS) for Dalhousie. 

With the draw, Dalhousie moves to 3-0-5 while UNB now sits at 2-0-5.

The Varsity Reds next action takes place tomorrow at 3:15 as they travel to play Saint Mary's, while the Tigers will play host to Acadia on Sunday at 3:15.

By: Mike Still, Dalhousie Athletics