The Trent Excalibur women's soccer team faced a challenging weekend with back-to-back games against strong opponents. Despite the outcomes, the team demonstrated determination and moments of brilliance that signal a promising season ahead.
The team travelled to the University of Ottawa to take on the Gee-Gees on Friday. In the first half, the Excalibur earned many opportunities to score, including fourth-year Mariah Shaw (Coburg) and fourth-year Natalie Coscarella (Goodwood), but were saved by the Ottawa's goalie who remained a force in the net.
Hungry for points the women fought their way forward, with third-year's Myla Shortt (Belleville) and Maddie Walter (Barrie) breaking through Ottawa's defence, though Ottawa's goalie stood tall. After a tough battle the Excalibur lost 6-0.
Fresh off an away game, the Excalibur welcomed the Nipissing Lakers to Justin Chiu Stadium on Saturday.
The first half displayed strong goalkeeping by second-year Victoria Ivey-Town (Peterborough), making some key saves early on. Trent would abuse the counterattack, which led to a fantastic chance by third-year Darienne Patkau (Strathroy), though a brilliant save by the Laker's keeper kept the score at zero. Nipissing would eventually open the scoring in the 27th minute, and a penalty kick at the end of the half gave Nipissing a two-goal lead.
In the second half, Ivey-Town continued to pull off some great saves, with Patkau and third year Emma Da Silva (Whitby) having some great offensive chances. Fourth-year Myla Shortt (Belleville) was strong in defence, stopping many offensive chances from Nipissing. In the end, Trent fell to Nipissing 4-0.
The team now sits at a 1-3 record, with Nipissing improving to a 3-0, remaining undefeated.
The team's next game will be on Friday, September 13th when our Excalibur welcome Toronto Metropolitan to Justin Chiu Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm. Tickets are available at the gate for $10, with free admission for Trent students and children under 12 accompanied by an adult.