Three second half goals help Dal top Saint Mary's 4-1
Three second half goals helped the Dalhousie Tigers defeat their cross-town rival Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Wickwire Field.
(Halifax, N.S.) – Three second half goals helped the Dalhousie Tigers defeat their cross-town rival Saint Mary's Huskies 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Wickwire Field.
It was also the annual senior's game, as Dalhousie players Amanda Bowles (Burlington, ON), Meagan McKenna (Halifax, NS) and Scarlett Smith (Wolfville, NS) were acknowledged in the last home contest of their AUS careers.
The Tigers cracked the scoreboard first in the fifth minute, off of a great through ball from midfielder Maya Venkataraman (Summerland, BC) to striker Brenna Kettlewell (Quispamsis, NB) who made no mistake.
The Huskies would respond on their only shot in the first half, as forward Madelyn Belliveau (Halifax, NS) was able to get behind the Tigers back line and put a shot just past the left post in the 13th minute. Belliveau was Saint Mary's biggest offensive threat in the matchup, using her speed to create a few additional chances.
The Tigers had a total of nine shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes, however Saint Mary's goalkeeper Samantha Sarty (New Germany, NS) kept the game knotted at one with a number of key saves, including impressive stops in the 24th and 26th minutes against Kettlewell.
Dalhousie put the game to rest in the second half, finding the back of the net twice in the first eight minutes, and three times overall.
After hitting the post late in the first half, midfielder Rachelle Lalande (Halifax, NS) would redeem herself in the 51st minute, directing a header past Sarty.
Striker Jensen Hudder (White's Lake, NS) would increase the lead to two just two minutes later, tapping in a loose ball in the box after Sarty had made the initial save on defender Lisa Sullivan (Burlington, ON).
Venkataraman would increase Dalhousie's lead to three in the 65th minute, displaying great touch on a left-footed shot to round out the scoring.
Sarty was the stand-out player for Saint Mary's despite the score, making an impressive 11 saves on a number of challenging shots.
The Subway Players of the Game were Kettlewell for Dalhousie and Sarty for Saint Mary's.
With the win, Dalhousie improved their record to 3-6-2, while the Huskies fell to 0-10-0.
The two teams will face each other once again on Friday – this time at Saint Mary's – in the final regular season game of the season. Dalhousie can clinch a playoff spot in the 2016 AUS postseason with a win.
By: Mike Still, Dalhousie Athletics