Defense Shines As Women's Soccer Posts Solid Weekend Results
It wasn't a perfect weekend for the defending MCAC Champions, but CMU represented their province well with two strong showings in Southern Alberta on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
After conceeding three goals in the opening 45 minutes of their first match of 2019, the Blazers have held their opponents to just two goals over their last 225 minutes, allowing only a single goal in each of their weekend CCAA friendlies against the ACAC's Medicine Hat Rattlers and Lethbridge Kodiaks.
It didn't take long for the Rattlers to pry open the CMU defense on Saturday afternoon in Medicine Hat, as Grace Porter made it 1-0 within 7 minutes of the kickoff. Within 60 seconds, three CMU rookies combined as the Blazers responded to even the score. Defender Miriam Kabonesa carried the ball into midfield and found Ezri Trump with a purposeful pass. Seeing the run of Alyssa Patterson ahead of her, Trump placed a well-weighed angle pass to the speedy striker who beat the Rattlers goalkeeper for the first post-secondary goal of her career.
For the final 83 minutes, the CMU backline would be called on and the young Blazers stepped up. Kabonesa made several important tackles and Kylie Karr, Carley Matkowski and Gemma Martinez were relentless, challenging for loose balls and tracking down the Rattlers' attackers.
Late in the match, Lydia Balsillie assured her teammates of at least a tie, stretching her fingertips to a shot that appeared destined to find it's way over the veteran goalkeeper and under the crossbar. When the final whistle blew, the team's would settle for a hard-fought 1-1 tie.
The strong defensive effort continued on Sunday, as CMU travelled to Lethbridge to tackle the Kodiaks, undefeated through three matches-played in the young 2019 ACAC season. Despite being only 24 hours removed from an exhausting 90 minutes in Medicine Hat on Saturday, the Blazers stepped on to the pitch ready to compete with their front-running hosts. It took the Kodiaks the better part of 45 minutes to find a way past the CMU defenders moments. Allie Morrison broke the deadlock with the only goal of the game seconds before the referee's halftime whistle. Patterson would come closest for the visitors, who managed only one shot on target, when her right-footed effort sailed over the Kodiaks' goal during the second half.
The Blazers return to MCAC action next weekend with two critical matches in Week 3. CMU begins on Saturday with a cross-Winnipeg battle against the first-place USB Rouges at St. Vital Memorial Park and return to the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Sunday to host the Brandon Bobcats. The Bobcats are coming off a 1-0 home win over the Providece Pilots on Sunday.
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