WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks battled the Brock Badgers to a scoreless draw Friday evening at Ansley Alumni Field, as strong goalkeeping at both ends kept the match tied 0-0.
Both teams battled for possession early, with Laurier goalkeeper
Mya Brodrecht making an early save in the sixth minute to shut down a Brock chance.
Laurier generated its first dangerous opportunity in the eighth minute when a corner kick nearly found the top-right corner of the net. However, Brock's goalkeeper Madison Heeley made the save.
Laurier produced one of its best sequences in the 24th minute. A free kick from approximately 30 yards out was headed by
Taya Johnson before being moved across the penalty area, but the final shot from
Kayla Merkley sailed just over the net.
Laurier's Brodrecht remained steady at the other end, making saves in the 34th and 37th minutes to keep the Badgers off the scoreboard.
Laurier created several more opportunities before halftime. Captain
Ashley Greco sent a low shot toward the Brock net in the 42nd minute, while Johnson's long throw-in led to another header attempt by
Genevieve Morgan one minute later. Brock's Heeley stopped both chances.
Brodrecht made one final play before the break, racing off her line to reach the ball ahead of a Brock attacker in the 45th minute and send the teams into halftime tied 0-0.
Despite being unable to break through, Laurier entered the break having produced six shots, including four on target, while limiting Brock to two shots on goal.
The Golden Hawks came out aggressively to begin the second half, creating several opportunities in the opening minutes. In the 51st minute, Johnson's long throw-in was headed toward the net, but Heeley was again there to make the save.
Laurier continued to threaten through set pieces. A corner kick in the 58th minute forced Heeley into an impressive jumping save, while a great give-and-go sequence between
Annick Lariviere and
Vanessa Bentrovato in the 63rd minute ended with a shot being turned aside by the Brock goalkeeper again.
The Badgers began to create more pressure late in the match, earning consecutive corner kicks in the 80th minute. Brodrecht rose above Badger defenders to deny both opportunities and preserve the scoreless tie.
The Laurier goalkeeper made another important stop in the 83rd minute before Heeley answered at the opposite end by denying Johnson's shot in the 85th minute.
Brock earned one final corner kick in the 90th minute, but Brodrecht once again secured the ball. Despite late chances for both sides, neither team could find the deciding goal.
When head coach
Barry MacLean was asked about his team's performance in the draw, he was very happy with the way the back four played.
"They defended everything … Mya was great. She organized our back really well. Everybody really trusts her, so that's a huge thing for me with a goalkeeper".
Coach MacLean also mentioned that the full week break between games will allow for the team "to get a little bit of rest" as they've "been through so many games in such a short period of time".
Laurier's lockdown goalkeeper, Brodrecht, who got her first clean sheet of the year, said that "coming into it we had a weekend that we didn't want to have last weekend, and we were a bit down, but we came into it knowing that they were a good team, and that they had a lot of grit."
"I think we just overall played really well tonight for the full 90 [minutes]; we didn't give up at all".
At the official midway point of the season, the draw moves Laurier's record to 3-2-1.
Up Next:
The Golden Hawks head east to face the York Lions (4-1) on Friday, September 25.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Catch the action live on OUA.tv.
