This past weekend the Tigers soccer teams hit the road in to face StFX and CBU, while the cross country team took to the trail to start their season in Moncton.
Women’s Soccer
Dal 2 @ StFX 1; Dal 1 @ CBU 2
On Friday Dal found themselves in Antigonish for a heated rematch against StFX. Having already bested the X-Women in the season home opener, the Tigers looked to further prove their dominance. From the start of the game Dal applied pressure with shots on goal, testing the resilience of the opposing keeper. Their persistence was finally rewarded when the black and gold set up a cross kick that was deflected into the net by a StFX defender. The home team responded quickly by scoring their own goal just minutes later to tie the game 1-1. The second half proved to be a battle as the physically demanding game came down to the dying minutes with the score still tied. In the 80th minute Dal capitalized and midfielder Joanna Blodgett stepped up to score the game winning goal in a penalty shot.
After a huge victory against the X-Women, the bumped and bruised Tigers took the pitch the following day against CBU. Despite a strong battle, the Caper’s goalie was resistant to Dal’s attack in the first half and the Tigers found themselves down 2-0. The black and gold remained strong and shut down the Capers offence. With minutes left in the game, Dal’s Lauren Landry was able to finally sneak one by the opposing keeper to put the Tigers on the board. Without enough time left on the clock however, the women fell short 2-1.
Men’s Soccer
Dal 0 @ StFX 0; Dal 3 @ CBU 2
The men’s soccer team looked to even the score with StFX after a close loss during their first match up. Back and forth play throughout the game showed two evenly matched teams vying for superiority. Despite a number of close chances, the Tigers weren’t able to capitalize. Keeper Jason Ross kept Dal in the game, earning a shut out after 90 minutes and ending the game in a scoreless tie.
Dalhousie hit the pitch again on Saturday looking for a victory against the Capers and set the pace in what was an action-packed match right from the beginning. Just three minutes into the game, striker Tyler Lewars put Dal on the board with a quick goal to take the lead. The play was back and forth and CBU managed to put up a point in the tail end of the half. The black and gold came out charging in the second, with co-captain Nathan Rogers scoring quickly to put the Tigers up 2-1. The Capers wouldn’t throw in the towel that easily though and scored in the 57th minute. With the game on the line, the Tigers rose to the occasion, and Tyler Lewars put away his second goal of the game to give Dal the 3-2 victory over the Capers.
Cheer on Dalhousie’s soccer teams this weekend at Wickwire Field as they take on CBU in rematch on Saturday, followed by a double header on Sunday against Memorial University. On both days the women kick off at 1pm followed by the men at 3:15pm.
Cross Country Moncton Invitational
The Tigers cross country teams took to the course for the first time this season at the Moncton Invitational on Saturday. Dal battled StFX for the top spot in what has become an annual rivalry. In the women’s race the Tigers finished second with three top ten finishes coming from Anna von Maltzahn (5th), Ellen Chappell (8th), and Vanessa Linton (9th).
The men had an equally successful meet, finishing second behind the X-Men and placing two runners in the top ten. Jake Moore led the black and gold in 5th, and Bruce Russel finished just five seconds back to take 7th place.
Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are off to a strong start this season and will be racing in Antigonish, N.S. next week at the St. Francis Xavier Invitational.