WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier's unbeaten run to start the women's OUA soccer season screeched to a halt on Friday night, as the Golden Hawks were blanked 1-0 by the McMaster Marauders at Ansley Alumni Field.

Coming into the match, the Golden Hawks sat third overall in the OUA West and enjoying their best start to a season since 2015, while their divisional rivals found themselves in fifth.

Throughout the first half, both teams pressed on both sides of the pitch, making things very evenly matched.

Midway through the first half, Laurier's Taya Johnson left the field due to a wrist injury but luckily returned later.

McMaster's Jade Abreo opened the scoring, finding the back of the net in the 36th minute of play.

The Golden Hawks' offensive attack looked a little different this night, as the squad was missing its second-leading scorer Sasha Marikano and fellow veteran Noella Grant due to injuries from the team's last match.

Coming into the second half, the Golden Hawks were hungry for an equalizer goal, which led to the match growing in aggression.

It didn't result in any further scoring though as Abreo's tally stood up as the game-winner for the Marauders.

Despite Laurier recording its first loss, head coach Barry MacLean thought his team played very well.

"We had a lot of urgency when we were down a goal. We competed and we had a lot of the ball. I'm happy with the overall performance," MacLean said.

With the result, McMaster slid into a tie for fourth in the division with Laurier at 11 points, although the Golden Hawks have a game in hand.
 

Top Performers

Laurier Golden Hawks
Taya Johnson
Johnson was a defensive force for the Golden Hawks squad throughout the match. Laurier's veteran showed toughness after suffering a wrist injury during the game but returning to the field without missing a beat while also taking on a serious leadership role within the match.

McMaster Marauders
Jade Abreo
Abreo was an offensive rock for the Mauraders squad, leading the team with the eventual game-winner.

Up Next

The Golden Hawks (3-1-2) return to Ansley Alumni Field on Friday, September 27 to take on the 6-1 Guelph Gryphons.

Start your Homecoming weekend with the purple and gold or follow along through live updates at @WLUAthletics on X.