Highlight-reel play sets up game winner
Dramatic finish on road improves Knights to 3-2 in women’s soccer
Lauren Frasca didn’t make the scoresheet, but she did make the highlight reel when Niagara visited Redeemer in women’s college soccer.
Best of all for the Welland native, the Knights were able to bring three points back with them on the return trip from Ancaster.
“Helping my team was such an amazing feeling,” the Notre Dame College School graduate said after the 2-1 victory Saturday. The centre back’s turn in the spotlight came in the 93rd minute, about eight minutes after the host Royals tied the match at 1-1 on a free kick. Frasca dribbled the ball through what seemed like the entire Redeemer team before a cross pass found Michelle Maecker, who scored the game winner.
The goal was the second of the season for Maecker, a Fonthill native and E.L. Crossley alum.
Katelyn Mix of Gilford, Ont., south of Barrie, opened the scoring for Niagara, now 3-2 in league play.
“I thought the women played so well today,” Niagara head coach Rob Lalama said. “We made a mistake on the Redeemer free kick and it cost us.
“To win this division we need
to eliminate errors like that and do a better job putting pressure on the opposition.”
In men’s action Saturday, Niagara steered clear of the loss column but couldn’t find the back of the net in a scoreless
draw against Redeemer.
“It’s always a shame to let a goalkeeper’s clean slate go to waste,” Knights head coach Frank DeChellis said. “We need to play a certain style if we are
going to succeed, and we are getting there.
“There was a lot of co-operation between forwards and the midfield today, which was nice.”
Niagara was held scoreless for the second game in a row after starting the season 3-0. The Knights went to Redeemer hoping to rebound from a 3-0 loss at home to the Fanshawe Falcons.
Midfielder Jacob Therrien said the Knights always have a tough time playing the Royals on their home field.
“They’re a big, strong team that doesn’t stop competing for 90 minutes,” the Welland native and Notre Dame grad said. “It doesn’t help that they always have a big, loud crowd.
“We came out with a point, which isn’t terrible, but not the result we were hoping for.
“Now we go back to the drawing board, train hard and get ready for our next game.”
DeChellis praised the play of Romario James who before coming to the region’s community college spent time in net for the national under-17 and under-23 teams in his native Guyana.
“We are taking a game-at-atime approach and he is slowly showing his pedigree,” the coach said. “He is fearless and showed that several times over the past two matches.”
With the draw, the Knights fall to 3-1-1, three points behind the West Division-leading Fanshawe Falcons, 4-0-1, and one back of the Redeemer, 3-0-2.
Niagara hosts the last-place Lambton, 0-5, in the second game off a doubleheader Wednesday at Youngs Sportsplex in Welland. Action is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m., two hours after the women’s game.
Lambton’s women’s team is also 0-5.