WATERLOO, Ont. - The Golden Hawks took on the Waterloo Warriors for a particularly wet and chilly Battle of Waterloo on Friday. With the OUA postseason drawing near, Laurier came one step closer to solidifying a home playoff game with a 2-1 win. 

The Golden Hawks' attacking line showed up particularly strong throughout the first half, appearing almost unstoppable once they had gained momentum. They posted multiple scoring opportunities fairly early on in the play. 

Laurier forward Jyanessa Sealy opened the scoring in the 27th minute with her ninth goal of the year. 

Both teams continued to fight throughout the half, but the Laurier offensive line held the majority of possession.

After a poorly-timed slide tackle from Laurier keeper Taya Johnson early in the second half, Warriors captain Alexa Cimermancic buried a direct penalty kick into the Laurier net, tying up the match. 

The goal seemed to kick the home side into high gear, as the Warriors were on every ball field wide for over ten minutes. 

Laurier, struggling to retake control, had a hard drive up the right wing, resulting in a cross to Lexi Kroeker, who reached the ball at the last minute with a slide to score her seventh of the year to make it 2-1 for the Golden Hawks. 

After the second Laurier goal, the Warriors were unable to regain possession. The match ended with Laurier having secured its fifth win of the season and improving its record in conference play to 5-4-2.

Top Performers

Laurier Golden Hawks
Jyanessa Sealy
Sealy is always a strong offensive player but, in today's match, she was clearly determined to put points on the board. Sealy not only scored the first goal of the match but also assisted the second goal and had three shots on target.

Waterloo Warriors
Delaney McLeod
McLeod was dominant for the majority of the 90 minutes she was on the pitch. Calling directions and plays to her teammates as well as taking kicks, McLeod had composure and control throughout the entire match.

Up Next

The Golden Hawks are on the road this Sunday, October 22 to play their final regular season game of their 2023 season in Windsor. With a victory, the Golden Hawks will host the Lancers in a 4 vs 5 first-round playoff match-up at 6 pm.

A draw or loss would see the squad make a return trip to Windsor on Wednesday.

Looking towards the coming game, Sealy said that the Golden Hawks "plan to go down to Windsor, dominate, and secure another three points" 

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. and the match will be webcast live on OUA.tv