Huskies blank Tigers 3-0
Mo Tolba led the Tigers with five shots, three of which were on goal.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
HALIFAX, NS – The Saint Mary's Huskies continued their win streak, defeating the Dalhousie Tigers 3-0 for their sixth straight win on Sunday afternoon at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.
In the opening moments of the match, it was Tigers forward Mohammed Tolba (Stellarton, NS) who looked dangerous with a pair of scoring chances, with Huskies goalkeeper Ryan Davis (Lake Loon, NS) making a tremendous save on the first, and getting some help from the goal post on the second.
It was the Huskies who would strike the scoreboard first as forward Sean Freeman (Halifax, NS) capitalized on a miscue by the Tigers defence, winning the ball away and firing a quick shot that beat Tigers goalkeeper Sinclair Astridge (Victoria, BC), giving Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead in the 6th minute.
The Huskies kept the pressure high, working their way down the pitch for several shot attempts, and in the 24th minute, Sean Freeman was tripped up just outside the box by a Tigers defender. On the ensuing free kick, defender Woody Bain (Dartmouth, NS) fired a rocket of a shot that beat Astridge to the bottom left corner to double the Huskies lead.
Dalhousie continued to push for a goal, with forward Ben Thompson (Hammonds Plains, NS) ringing a shot off the post, and Ryan Davis making another great save off a Tolba free kick to keep the lead in tact, as the Huskies went into half with a 2-0 lead.
The second half saw an increase in physicality, as a combined five yellow cards and 22 fouls were called throughout the match.
In the 55th minute, Huskies midfielder Scott Firth (Windsor Junction, NS) struck a free kick from the far left sideline that handcuffed Astridge and provided an insurance marker to the Huskies 3-0 win.
Scott Firth was named Player of the Match, scoring a goal and playing the full 90 minutes for the Huskies, while goalkeeper Ryan Davis stopped five shots for the clean sheet.
The Huskies win improves their record to 6-2-0 on the season, furthering their lead atop the AUS standings. They'll hit the road next weekend to take on the STFX X-Men (4-0-2) on Saturday and Cape Breton Capers (4-0-2) on Sunday, with both games scheduled to kick-off at 3:15 p.m.
The Tigers loss drops their record to 1-3-3 on the campaign. Dalhousie will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 28, hosting the UNB REDS (2-4-1) at 7:45 p.m. at Wickwire Field in Halifax.