ST. CATHERINES, Ont. - The Golden Hawks took to the road on Friday night to take on the Brock Badgers for the first game of their 2024 season. The Golden Hawks came out strong, battled hard, and came away with their first win of the season by a 2-1 score.

The Badgers wasted no time, attacking the Golden Hawks defensive line quickly and banking their first shot on Laurier's goalkeeper in just the third minute of play. 

Laurier striker Jaynessa Sealy quickly retaliated with a shot on target in the seventh minute of play. 

In the 15th and 16th minutes, Laurier strikers Sealy and Sasha Marikano hit back-to-back crossbars. Still, they had those near-misses followed by the first goal of the Golden Hawks season by one of the newest Golden Hawks, fourth-year education major Samantha Murphy - who was the top scorer in League 1 Ontario Women this past summer with Woodbridge S.C.

Starting in goal for the purple and gold was the rookie 'keeper Mya Brodrecht from Kitchener, Ont. Though this match marked the very beginning of Brodrecht's OUA career, the rookie didn't seem shaken at all. 

In the 28th minute, however, the young keeper received a yellow card, resulting in a direct penalty kick for Brock. The Badgers' Stephanie Young converted the kick and earned the home side their first goal of the season.

Throughout the game, Murphy, Sealy, and Marikano dominated offensively for Laurier, securing 15 shots between the three players. 

In the 67th minute, all their hard work paid off when Marikano scored what turned out to be the eventual game-winner.

The result was Laurier's third-straight win over the Badgers and fifth victory in their past six matches.

Top Performers 

Laurier Golden Hawks 
#3 – Samantha Murphy 
The striker was a pillar for her team in this match. Scoring the game-opening goal and leading her team in shots, it was clear that Murphy was dangerous in the offensive zone. 

Brock Badgers 
#11 – Shae Mitchell 
Mitchell performed solidly and kept her team in the game for 90 minutes, blocking 11 shots.

Up Next 

The Golden Hawks take flight again on Sunday, September, 1 when they take on the York Lions in Toronto. 

The Lions and the Golden Hawks will kick off at 1 pm. Catch it live on OUA.tv or check out @WLUAthletics on X for live updates.