Dal and StFX battle to 1-1 draw

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Dalhousie and StFX battled to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at the Tiger's Wickwire Field in a fast-paced, high octane matchup.

The X-Women were the aggressors throughout the opening 20 minutes, with midfielder Mercy Miles (Accra, Ghana) and forward Logan Lee-Knight (Calgary, AB) providing the visitors with two quality chances.

Miles shot in fourth minute sailed just over the crossbar, while Lee-Knight was able to gain position in the box in the 20th minute but her shot sailed just wide.

The Tigers shifted the momentum shortly afterwards, as midfielder Maya Venkataraman (Summerland, BC) deked past a StFX defender and was able to get a quality shot off, which was stopped by X-Women goaltender Nicole MacDonald (Kanata, ON) in the 24th minute.

After continuous back-and-forth play that featured 15 combined first half shots, Dalhousie was able to break the deadlock in the 36th minute.

Defender Taylor Goodwin (Hammonds Plains, NS) delivered an accurate cross off of a free kick and midfielder Paige Jamieson (Calgary, BC) was able to tap it in to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The goal was the first of Jamieson's career.

The X-Women picked up the pace on offence after the Tigers goal, and had their best chance of the first half in the 38th minute after Dalhousie was unable to clear the ball from just outside the box.

Again it was Lee-Knight with the quality opportunity, but her shot rang off the near post to keep the score 1-0 for Dalhousie heading into the half.

After a slightly monotonous start to the second half, the X-Women began to take control, thanks to some crisp passing.

The visitors would knot the game up 1-1 in the 54th minute as midfielder Chloe Brennan (Brookside, NS) finished off a nice cross from fellow midfielder Olivia Czipf (Thunder Bay, ON) for her fourth goal of the season.

StFX kept on pressing and had a great chance to take the lead in the 67th minute as Miles broke past her defender and had a clear shot on net but once more sailed the ball just over the bar.

The X-Women were the clear aggressors in the second half and had at least four opportunities inside the box, however Dalhousie goaltender Sam Corcoran (Ottawa, ON) stood strong.

The Tigers went back to a short-passing game on offence as time began ticking down, with their best chance occurring in the 77th minute off of a drive from the right side by Goodwin that was stopped, as the game finished in a 1-1 draw.

The Subway Players of the Game were midfielder Rachelle Lalande (Halifax, NS) for Dalhousie, and defender Olivia Wilkie (Rosemere, QC) for StFX. Both players received recognition due to their firm play on the back end.

With the tie, Dalhousie picked up their first point of the season and are now 0-1-3 on the year, while StFX improved to 2-1-1.

The Tigers next action takes place next Saturday on the road against UPEI, while StFX will play host to Mount Allison. 

Recap by: Mike Still, Dalhousie Athletics