WATERLOO, Ont. -
Grace Larsen scored twice in six minutes during the second half to help the Laurier Golden Hawks overcome a two-goal deficit and earn a 3-3 draw against the McMaster Marauders on Friday night at Ansley Alumni Field.
McMaster opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Olivia Blair sent a cross into the penalty area, and Maria Annibale finished the opportunity to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Annibale doubled the advantage 10 minutes later. Blair drew a foul inside Laurier's penalty area, and Annibale converted the ensuing penalty with a low shot into the bottom-left corner.
Laurier goalkeeper
Mya Brodrecht kept the deficit from growing with saves in the 25th. Ravina Braich came close to adding another goal for McMaster in the 32nd minute, but her shot struck the crossbar.
The Golden Hawks responded in the 35th minute when
Jessica Breda found
Genevieve Morgan, who was fouled inside the McMaster penalty area. Captain
Ashley Greco converted the penalty kick for her league-leading eighth goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Greco nearly tied the match before halftime with a hard shot from outside the box, but McMaster goalkeeper Lucie Duffy made the save.
McMaster held a 5-3 advantage in shots during the opening half, while Laurier led 3-2 in shots on goal. The teams each earned four corner kicks.
Laurier continued applying pressure early in the second half. G. Morgan delivered a corner kick to
Vanessa Dias in the 50th minute, but her header went just wide of the net.
McMaster restored its two-goal advantage in the 56th minute when Braich scored off a pass from Annibale to make it 3-1.
Dias created another opportunity from a Morgan corner in the 64th minute, but her header was directed at goalkeeper Duffy.
Laurier's comeback began three minutes later. Greco sent a corner kick into the penalty area, where Larsen rose above the defence and headed the ball into the top-right corner to make it 3-2.
In the 73rd minute, Greco crossed a free kick from the left side to a charging Larsen, who kicked it home through contact for her second goal of the match to tie the game at 3-3.
Laurier's defence protected the tie during the closing minutes, stopping an attacking run from Braich in the 88th minute. McMaster received one final opportunity from a free kick in the 90th minute, but Mea Martel sent the shot over the net.
Neither team found a late winner as the Golden Hawks completed the comeback and earned one point in the 3-3 draw against the Marauders.
"We weren't our sharpest in the first 25 to 40 minutes … but we fought back," said Laurier head coach
Barry MacLean.
He also mentioned his satisfaction with "getting contributions from all points on the team… including
Grace Larsen coming in and scoring two goals late in the game, and doing an amazing job, as well as defending very well".
When asked which goal was her favourite, Larsen said: "Probably the first. I love getting my head on a ball, and Ash (
Ashley Greco) delivers some beautiful corners".
When asked about preparation in practice for the Battle of Waterloo game, Grace said that "it's just showing up every day, with a good attitude, coming prepared, and just giving consistent effort."
The draw moves Laurier's record to 3-2-3 on the season.
Up Next:
The Golden Hawks remain at home to face their city rivals, the Waterloo Warriors (2-6), on Thursday, October 8.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Ansley Alumni Field.
