SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Four second-half goals powered Laurier to a 5-1 victory over the Algoma Thunderbirds on Sunday afternoon at Superior Heights Turf Field, completing a two-game weekend sweep and improving the Golden Hawks to 3-0 on the season.
After a scoreless opening 15 minutes, Laurier broke the tie in the 16th minute when
Annick Lariviere's shot was deflected away, but
Sophia Morgan collected it and found forward
Genevieve Morgan, who finished into the bottom-left corner to give the Golden Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Laurier continued to pressure the Thunderbirds throughout the opening half, but Algoma goalkeeper Paisley Pennington made several stops to keep the deficit at one. Lariviere nearly added to the Laurier lead in first-half stoppage time, but sent it a little bit too high off the crossbar.
The Golden Hawks' second-half dominance continued when
Genevieve Morgan delivered a beautiful corner cross into the box in the 51st minute, and
Taya Johnson headed it into the top-right corner to make it 2-0.
Laurier continued creating opportunities before No. 11 captain
Ashley Greco broke through in the 70th minute. Greco received a long pass and worked her way through multiple Algoma defenders before finishing into the bottom-left corner of the net to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Thunderbirds didn't stay silent, as they responded in the 80th minute when Taya Shackleton converted a free kick into the top-left corner to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Golden Hawks answered quickly. Receiving a great assist from
Sienna Di Blasio, rookie
Aaliyah Spence worked through two defenders before scoring with her left foot in the 84th minute extending the lead to 4-1. And for the cherry on top,
Eva Holzman-Sharfe assisted
Annick Lariviere two minutes later to secure the 5-1 victory.
The Golden Hawks scored nine goals across their two victories in Sault Ste. Marie, and their stellar defence and goalkeeping from
Mya Brodrecht held Algoma to just two goals between the two games.
Up Next:
The Golden Hawks (3-0) return to Waterloo to take on the fellow undefeated Guelph Gryphons (2-0) at Ansley Alumni Field on Friday, September 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
