By Timothy Kraft, for the Lambda
On Oct. 11, the Laurentian women’s Voyageurs soccer team defeated the UOIT Ridgebacks 1-0 to complete a successful double-header home weekend.
Before game play, Richel Greenwood (goalkeeper), Kate Grant (trainer), Megan Ferguson (forward), Amanda Norrie (midfielder), and Gabrielle Conrad (center back), were honored, as it was their last regular season home game of their careers with the Voyageurs.
“For the graduates, we really wanted to win today,” said Brianne Rodrigue (midfielder).
The Voyageurs double-header home weekend was significant, as 7 minutes into the first half, Voyageur forward Catherine Rocca headed the ball from a long throw in, assisting Brianne Rodrigue (midfielder) who also headed the ball at net for the goal. This gave the Voyageurs an early 1-0 lead, and was Rodrigue’s second goal in as many games this weekend.
The first half concluded an evenly matched bout while both teams fought for possession in the midfield.
In the second half, UOIT Ridgebacks came out swinging, but the Voyageurs defense did a good job putting bodies in front of shots along with their goalkeeper who made miraculous saves.
With 8 minutes left of game play, the Ridgebacks were given a yellow card when one of their players made a comment to the ref. Four minutes later, the ref gave the Ridgebacks another yellow card after a collision in midfield.
Despite the surging Ridgebacks, Voyageurs continued to defend well until the final whistle blew, and Voyageurs prevailed victorious with a score of 1-0, bettering their record to 7-3-2.
“This team is very tight. They played for each other, and they love each other… It’s a chance now for them to believe that they are one of the best teams in the league,” commented coach Rob Gallo on the team’s successful weekend.
The Voyageurs now remain seven points back of the Ottawa Gee Gees with four games left in the regular season. The girls will finish off the rest of their games away, playing against Toronto, Ryerson, Queens and RMC.
The Voyageurs look to continue their win streak when they play Toronto Varsity Blues at the Varsity Center on Oct. 17.
-File photo, by Lambda staff