(St. John's, NL) - The Sea-Hawks gave up a heart-breaking own goal in the 77th minute to the Cape Breton Capers and lost 1-0 in the opening match of the weekend.
The game started slowly with no attempts on goal until the 23rdminute, when CBU player Rachel Leck (Pickering, ON) took a volley off a free kick and was denied by Memorial keeper Sydney Walsh (St. John's, NL).
In the first half Memorial's defense was very strong, with Cape Breton recording the majority of the offensive chances. The Capers outshot Memorial three to zero for attempts on target.
Teri Murphy (Mount Pearl, NL) stood out as an exceptional defensive force for the Sea-Hawks, winning multiple headers throughout the game.
In the 38thminute Erin Freeman (Halifax, NS) fired a shot going to the top right corner but Sydney Walsh made a huge leap and one hand punched it out of danger. The first half ended with a 0-0 draw.
In the second half both teams dug in looking goals. CBU had six shots on net, and Memorial had four. The Capers came out of the break hot, and midfielder Ciera Disipolo (Ottawa, ON) took a shot on net within the first minute of playing that was saved by Memorial goalkeeper Sydney Walsh.
In the 61st minute Memorial's Nicole Torraville (St. John's, NL) dribbled past two CBU defenders and then took a shot but was deflected by CBU keeper Rachel Yerxa (Missisauga, ON).
Memorial couldn't hold back the consistent CBU attack and in the 76th minute CBU's Fatou Ndiaye (Pierrefonds, QC) crossed the ball into the danger area and was headed into the net by a Memorial defender for an own goal. Memorial was unable to tie and finished the game 1-0.
Memorial returns to the field tomorrow at 1:00pm NST, looking to find redemption and hopefully hand Cape Breton their first loss of the season. You can watch the games live at King George V Field or on AUStv.ca, and follow the box score at www.goseahawks.ca.
Written by Sydney Hector