ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The Laurier Golden Hawks took on the Brock Badgers for the first time this season on Saturday in St. Catharines. Laurier fully understood the pressure of the match, seeing as the Badgers had won five of the last seven between the two teams.

The Golden Hawks arrived in St. Catharines hoping to secure their third win of the season and did not disappoint, beating the Badgers 5-2.

The Badgers came out very strong, scoring the first goal of the match just five minutes and thirty seconds in. 

After scoring, the Badgers dominated play, which could have been very discouraging for the Golden Hawks but they were able to reset and refocus after a water break around the 20-minute mark.

Jyanessa Sealy scored a beautiful shot from outside the 18-yard box after 26 minutes of play, putting Laurier on the board and making it a 1-1 game. 

The Golden Hawks and the Badgers continued to go head-to-head for the remainder of a very evenly matched first half.

Golden Hawk Sophia Messina scored very early on in the second half making it a 2-1 game and giving Laurier the lead. Messina's goal completely shifted the momentum of the game, causing Laurier to move into an attacking role where they were able to dominate possession while Brock shifted to playing very defensively.

Sealy scored a second goal, thanks to a beautifully placed corner from Gabrielle Machado and Mackenzie Forte scored a third only minutes later. 

The Badgers continued to fight and scored a second goal in the 89th minute of play which was followed by a fifth goal for the Golden Hawks courtesy of Sasha Marikano, making it a 5-2 win for Laurier.

Top Performers

Golden Hawks

#23 – Mackenzie Forte
Forte has shown multiple times throughout the season that she is an offensive force. That was clear again today when she put her speed and scrappiness on display, getting involved in many goal-scoring opportunities and scoring the fourth goal of the match.

Badgers

#13 – Brianna Bishop
The former Golden Hawk student-athlete from 2019-2021 created plays left, right and center in Saturday's match. From perfectly placed corner kicks in the first half to brick wall defence in the second, Bishop anchored her team through the good and the bad.

Up Next

The Golden Hawks return home to Waterloo on Sunday for the second leg of the home-and-home with the Badgers. Watch the game on Alumni Field at 1:00 or follow along on our X for live updates.