On Sunday Sept. 29, McMaster hosted the University of Guelph women’s soccer team in the squad’s second match-up of the season. The Marauders put forth a memorable performance that day – but not a positive one. McMaster’s display was the worst of the season, displaying no energy or urgency.

Mac dropped the game 2-0, but was lucky to escape with such a tame score line. The reason for the loss was not because they were outplayed by Guelph, but instead that they did not bring the level of effort required to compete in the OUA. To top it off, the match had major implications on the OUA East table, as Mac could have vaulted themselves into second in the conference. Instead, they tumbled to the bottom half of the standings.

Following the loss, head coach Brett Mosen was quick to apologize for the squad’s form and did not mince words when describing the game.

“That game is the low point – performance-wise – since I’ve been at Mac. This is my third season and that was certainly the poorest performance I’ve seen. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get it right,” said Mosen.

During the match, Maroon players were at each other’s throats with arms being thrown up constantly and no one hesitating to chew someone out over a poor touch. Mosen realized that team chemistry was bottoming out and called a team meeting for the following day.

“There is always times, after a performance like that, where you have to clear the air. It’s not about me talking in the changeroom, it’s about figuring out what’s going on with the girls. Training the following morning had a much more positive outlook,” the head coach said.

Mosen partially chalks the performance up to a perfect storm of causes. Mac’s previous game required both the men and women’s squads to travel to Windsor, Ont. to take on the Lancers. The women’s side was able to pull out a 1-1 draw but grabbing the point came with a consequence. Mac did not return to Hamilton until 3 a.m. and their fatigue showed in the Gryphon tilt.

The other major contributor was the absence of captain Sophia Ykema due to a concussion suffered in a game against the Western Mustangs. While the third-year player did her best to offer advice from the sideline, Ykema could not force them to elevate their play.

Mosen had some positive comments after the Guelph loss. He lauded the play of rookies who have stepped up in what he describes as the “worst season for injuries” the seasoned coach has ever seen. Specifically, he pointed out Anne Yeboah for her talents in the offensive third and speculated that an OUA Rookie of the Year award could be hers in the future.

With six games remaining and four of those on the road, McMaster cannot dwell on the Guelph loss - there simply isn’t enough time to lick wounds. As of Oct. 2, Mac sits tied for fourth in the standings and still has to play Laurier, York and nationally-ranked Western, all away from Ron Joyce.

McMaster’s coaching staff will not waver from their original expectations and suspects the Gryphon drubbing to serve as a reality check for the team.

“The bubble has burst. Hard work has to come out now and make sure we’re still in contention to get into the playoffs,” Mosen said.

 

As the McMaster women’s soccer season kicks off, it’s much more than a new campaign – it’s a changing of the guard.

2012 ended with an appearance in the OUA Final Four, with the team dropping the bronze medal game to the CIS finalist Queen’s Gaels. The future was bright as the team exceeded expectations and could expect to return all but two players – both who were graduating.

Except, that continuity never materialized.

“At the end of the season, I asked all the players who was coming back. I wanted everyone at camp, but the reply I got from some players was that they weren’t coming back,” said head coach Brett Mosen.

The coach added that there were players who changed their tune through the summer, but the team had already finished recruiting.

And now, the team stands with 16 players in their first year of eligibility. Compare this with only 11 players with at least a year of OUA competition under their belt, and it looks like a brand new program. The overhauled roster, with an average age of 19, could suffer through significant growing pains as players learn to balance school, athletics and social life, but the team refuses to alter expectations.

“We’ve recruited well and we have players who are capable of stepping up to take us where we want to go,” said Mosen. “The reality of it is, you’re always going to lose players. Let’s lose them quickly and build for where we want to get to. Obviously, where we want to get to is a national championship.”

The greatest concern for Mosen and his coaching staff is the learning curve for young OUA athletes because of the difference between university athletics and their youth clubs. OUA competition involves a larger age range than youth soccer, with the OUA ranging from age 17 to 23 and youth soccer sticking to one birth year. Older players have the upper hand, as they have been able to train at university facilities, have access to strength and conditioning programs, while also playing at the higher level for a longer period of time.

“Right now, the rookies think that what they’ve come away from is how it is, and it’s not. But that’s where coaching comes into it. We’ve got to be patient if we want to get them to another level,” said Mosen.

The women’s squad will not waver from its playing style (which Mosen describes simply as an “attacking style”) and expects its young players to catch up fast.

Mosen admires the senior players for the job they have done to help and advise the rookies with everything involved in their first year of donning the Maroon and Grey.

Taking on such a young group is not an easy task, especially not for a man who is also busy coaching Kitchener-Waterloo United of the Premier Development League, but Mosen is clearly looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m excited about the season, as are the other coaches. These are a group of players we put together, now what can they do at the next level? It is a great team to work with – they aren’t lazy, they work hard and they want to learn. It’s a coach’s dream, really,” said Mosen.

With the majority of the season ahead and a young and eager roster, the bold expectations of a CIS championship could soon be a reality.

Photo c/o Fraser Caldwell.

In a weekend that saw success across Marauder athletics, one team walked away empty-handed. McMaster’s women’s soccer team finished fourth in the OUA Final Four this weekend after being ousted in penalty kicks by the Queen’s Gaels.

The Maroon and Grey squeaked their way into the Final Four after a penalty kick victory over the Western Mustangs, giving them fourth seed in the championship tournament. Their first opponent was the Ottawa Gee-Gees, the number-one ranked team in the nation.

Ottawa, who hosted the tournament, came out of the gate flat and unable to muster any real offense. Mac suffered from the same problem as both squads felt each other out for the duration of the first half. The winner of the half would be the Gee-Gees, who headed to the locker room with three shots on goal in comparison to zero attempts on target from Mac.

Ottawa would storm out in the second half, looking to separate from the Marauders. Mac’s defensive line held their own until the 68th minute, when a Gee-Gee striker put away the game’s lone goal off a cross.

The Ottawa team maintained pressure in Mac’s defensive third. Defensive work and another top-notch performance from Brittany Duffey was key to keeping the Maroon and Grey deficit at one.

With the game coming to a close, McMaster found another gear and mounted an offensive attack to try to tie the game. But Mac’s first and final shot of the game would be turned aside by the Gee-Gee keeper and the Marauders found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 result.

The loss in the semi-final meant a place in the OUA Bronze medal match, a game all too familiar to the Maroon women. In 2011, the team lost 4-0 to the Gee-Gees. The year before, Mac lost 2-1 to the same. This year’s match would be a second chance for the team, where they met the Queen’s Gaels for bronze and a berth in the CIS tournament.

However, the Gaels found themselves in a new position. After two straight OUA Finals and CIS Championship victories, the Gaels were now battling with an unranked team just to make it back to the tournament.

The third-place match would turn into a dogfight early. Both teams were out to prove themselves and started the game with high energy and intensity. McMaster’s efforts would be vindicated first, with a goal in the 37th minute. A shot from Stephanie Davis found the back of the Gaels’ net and the Marauders took an early lead.

Mac would again rely on its defense to carry them, and Duffey would put together a strong performance to maintain the lead through the 45th minute whistle.

Following the half, Queen’s attempts to manufacture offense proved futile with Cristina Leonardelli and company standing tall against the Gaels. As the game reached the final minutes, the Gaels pushed nearly their entire team into the offensive third of the field. Their last-ditch effort at tying the game ended successfully, as a ball would manage to bounce off a number of players and find Mac’s mesh.

For the second time in three games, McMaster was headed to overtime. With the extra 30 minutes settling nothing, Mac again settled for penalty kicks. Queen’s also had experience in penalty shootouts after losing to Laurier in their OUA semi-final.

Both keepers put in an outstanding effort, with each side saving two shots. The eighth Gael shooter would beat Duffey and put the pressure on McMaster to prolong the shootout. A save from the Gael keeper sealed the victory for Queen’s and gave Mac their third straight loss in OUA bronze medal matches.

Queen’s, Laurier and Ottawa are headed to the CIS Championships to compete for the Gladys Bean Memorial Trophy.

While McMaster’s season ended with a disappointing result, this year had its fair share of highlights. A defeat of the Laurier Golden Hawks gave the team confidence in the middle of the regular season, and the squad would maintain a high level of play until the final minute of the bronze medal match.

The Maroon and Grey will lose two major pieces to graduation this year. Team captain Melanie Van Der Hoop finishes her career with McMaster with 64 games played and three OUA All-Star nominations. Van Der Hoop will be remembered as a leader for this year’s team, providing a calm and strong presence in midfield. Her consistent level of play will be missed greatly as the program moves forward.

Cristina Leonardelli was a defensive rock for McMaster and could be relied on to bring energy to Mac’s back four. In her time at Mac, she played 59 games. The defender walks away from the program with two OUA All-Star nominations. Coach Brett Mosin has a major hole to fill defensively with Leonardelli’s graduation.

McMaster’s roster is filled with players in the middle of their undergraduate careers, and the playoff experience will pay dividends in the coming years. The youthful squad’s climb to the top of the OUA has already started and will continue in 2013.

The McMaster Marauders women's soccer team is the Cinderella story of the OUA FInal Four. After a penalty kick victory, McMaster upset the Western Mustangs at TD Waterhouse Stadium after both teams failed to score through 120 minutes of play.

It was a game played through wild weather with excessive rain affecting both sides’ offense. Despite the conditions, McMaster's keeper Brittany Duffey stood tall and stunned the Mustangs on multiple occasions.

Early in the game, a deep throw from the Mustang offense created havoc in front of the net but Duffey made a diving stop to prevent the tie from being broken.

Duffey would be called upon again shortly after, when the leading OUA scorer came barreling down for the Western offense but the keeper would not be beat. The first half belonged to the home team and McMaster relied heavily upon their defense in order to preserve the tie at the 45th minute.

In the final 45 minutes, McMaster would assert themselves in the offensive third of the pitch. Their defense pushed up in order to keep the ball in Western's end and their efforts would be nearly vindicated late in the game. In the 82nd minute, the Maroon and Grey earned a free kick and a chance to score an important late goal. The kick would narrowly sail over the bar and McMaster's best chance would be marked down as a missed opportunity.

Mac would have to call upon their back four again to protect the net for the rest of their game. The Mustangs narrowly missed a header after a Western forward made contact with a cross and the ball bounced off the crossbar and out. The playoff game would need extra time with a 0-0 tie at the final whistle.

Two fifteen-minute overtime periods would be similar to the second half, seeing both teams earn scoring chances. But an extra thirty minutes didn't solve anything and the two teams were headed to the intensity of penalty kicks.

Keeper Brittany Duffey was twice outplayed by well-placed shots from two of Western's most feared strikes. But the Mustang keeper could not outperform her opponent, allowing three goals. Mel Van Der Hoop, Maureen Mai, and Emma Mangialardi were the goal scorers for McMaster.

With the win, McMaster is now headed to the University of Ottawa for the OUA Final Four tournament this weekend. They'll take on the No.1 ranked team in the country, the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Playoff action hit Ron Joyce Stadium for the first time this athletic season with the McMaster Marauders women’s soccer team hosting the UOIT Ridgebacks in the first round of OUA Playoffs.

The Wednesday afternoon game ended 2-1 in favour of the Marauders, but the game was a tale of two halves.

McMaster struck early in the game off of a corner kick, with Kathleen Perri putting away the ball to earn the lead. The first goal would give the team confidence, and the Maroon and Grey controlled the half with good passing and a maintained presence in the UOIT defensive third of the pitch.

Throughout the first, Mac would send long passes wide with the intent to find forward Stephanie Davis in the box. The Marauders offense would create a number of chances resulting with shots on target, including a hard strike from Emma Mangialardi that was stopped by the UOIT keeper. At the first half whistle, Mac led 1-0 and had all the momentum in their favour.

UOIT’s defensive would be feel the pressure early in the first half with the long ball passing leading to more offensive opportunities. In the 59th minute, Mangialardi received the ball just right of the 18-yard box and cut inside, edging the ball past a sprawling defender. The UOIT player caught Mangialardi’s leg and drew a foul in the box to give McMaster a penalty kick and the opportunity to push the lead to two.

Mel Van Der Hoop confidently put away the penalty and McMaster held a daunting lead. The Ridgebacks did not back down, though, and they controlled the game from this point on, keeping possession in the McMaster half. UOIT would attempt to attack from the wings, sending crosses to the back post to try to narrow Mac’s lead.

Their attempts would be vindicated after a cross found a UOIT player just inside the 18. Her shot would bounce off of defender Cristina Leonardelli and into the mesh at the back of the Marauder’s net.

Re-energized by the goal, the Ridgebacks would continue to put up a fight and challenge the Marauders for every ball. The tension on the field was tangible, with nearly every battle for the ball ending with someone on the ground. The intensity would reach a plateau when Mangialardi and her defender both earned yellow cards because of dangerous tackles from either side.

But Leonardelli and her defensive crew were solid for the Maroon and Grey, preserving the 2-1 lead.

The victory sends McMaster to the OUA quarterfinals. The Marauders take on the Western Mustangs, with whom they’ve split their regular season games. Mac took their most recent match up with a score of 1-0. The game is set for 1 p.m. in London, Ont.

It was an incredible weekend for McMaster’s women’s soccer team. The Thanksgiving weekend is always a difficult one, with personal distractions running rampant for sports teams as the campus empties while students travel home to see their families for the holiday weekend. But for the ladies soccer team, there was an even greater challenge: the Laurier Golden Hawks.

The Golden Hawks are the No.3 ranked team in the CIS and a perennial powerhouse in Canadian women’s soccer. They were undefeated in the 2012 season until their journey to Hamilton, Ont. where the McMaster Marauders would hand the Golden Hawks their first loss of the season.

The match was highly contested, with emotions running high on either side.

Throughout the first half, the game would stay incredibly close with teams matching each other’s attacks with strong defence. McMaster put together a great piece off of a corner kick, but the Marauders were unable to put a foot on the ball and the opportunity would be missed.

At the half, the score would remain 0-0 but it would not take long for that to change. In the 48th minute, McMaster’s leading scorer Tara Dawdy would break the tie with a beautiful strike from outside the 18-yard box. The ball would soar past the Laurier keeper, giving the Marauders the 1-0 edge, a lead they would maintain until the final whistle.

It would not be a perfect game for the Marauders, as shortly after the goal, Julia Maiolino received her second yellow card of the match and was sent off. With Mac a player down, and Laurier leading the OUA West in goal differential, the lead did not look like it would stand for very long.

But goalkeeper Brittany Duffey and her defensive unit would not waver and an outstanding collective effort would maintain the clean sheet for Duffey. The Laurier defeat is the Marauders most important win of the season, as the Marauders narrowed the gap between the Golden Hawks at the top of the OUA West standings.

On Sunday, the Marauders built off their momentum from the Laurier defeat and took the pitch against the Waterloo Warriors. The Warriors are a struggling squad, floundering in the bottom of the OUA West table.

Their struggles would continue against the Marauders, starting in the 19th minute with Maureen Mai beating the defender and placing a perfect shot to give Mac a 1-0 lead.

The lead would quickly double, with Cristina Leonardelli scoring the eventual game-winning goal in the 35th minute and McMaster would end the first half with a 2-0 lead.

The Warriors would attempt a comeback in the second half, after a counter-attack goal brought the score to 2-1 in favour of the Marauders. Waterloo would continue to apply pressure to the Mac defense but the ladies in the back would hold strong to maintain the lead.

The women’s squad heads to the University of Guelph on Saturday. The Guelph Gryphons held Mac to a scoreless draw in their last match. McMaster hosts UOIT on Sunday, a team looking to solidify its spot in the 2012 playoffs. The Marauders defeated the Ridgebacks in their previous match, dominating the game 3-0.

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

 

A split of their final two games was enough to clinch a first round playoff bye for the Marauders in the OUA’s West division.

McMaster opened their weekend on Oct. 21 with a home contest against the Waterloo Warriors at Ron Joyce Stadium and continued to demonstrate the stout defence that has become characteristic of their efforts of late.

The hosts dominated ball possession throughout the match and threatened the Warriors’ net often in the first half without managing to break the deadlock. However, the Maroon and Grey would find their range in the final 45 minutes and carve out a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Team captain Mel van der Hoop opened scoring in the 77th minute by forcing the visitors to concede an embarrassing own goal as she swung the ball into the Waterloo box.

Young striker Natalie Brace – who has excelled with the Marauders since joining the team as an exchange student from England this season – added a late insurance marker in the 87th minute by tucking away a close range effort.

Following the victory on Oct. 21, the squad travelled to Waterloo to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks, a squad long considered to be the toughest in Canada.

While two recent losses had dropped the Golden Hawks from the top position in the CIS rankings, the Laurier outfit demonstrated its skill against the Maroon and Grey on Oct. 23.

The Golden Hawks would score three times over the course of the Sunday afternoon match en route to a shutout victory, although the result would have no effect on the final conference standings.

With McMaster finishing their provincial campaign in second position in the OUA West, the team earned an automatic bye to the conference quarterfinals, which the Marauders will host at Ron Joyce Stadium on Oct. 30.

The Windsor Lancers’ opening round victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Oct. 26 earmarks them as the Maroon and Grey’s opponent for the Sunday afternoon affair.

McMaster owns a 2-0 record against the Lancers in their previous meetings this season, and will undoubtedly take considerable confidence into their quarterfinal tilt.

Kick off for the Oct. 30 knockout match is slated for 4:30 p.m.

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

It was hardly a pretty victory, but at this late stage in their conference schedule the Marauders will take three points however they can get them.

On Oct. 14, the Marauders welcomed the Brock Badgers to Ron Joyce Stadium, and contested a match under less than optimal weather conditions.

With the on-pitch temperature low, wind gusting strongly, and intermittent rain showers pelting the players, the quality of play on offer was understandably low.

For the vast majority of the match, it appeared that a scoreless draw was on the cards, as both sides lacked the firepower to threaten the goal.

But in injury time, McMaster ensured a full three points and heartbreak for the visitors as forward Natalie Kollars got a head to a free kick from midfield general Mel van der Hoop and directed it home for the dramatic winner.

The 1-0 victory was the third consecutive win for the Marauders, and solidified their hold on third place in the OUA’s West Division.

While the weather undoubtedly affected the standard of play on Oct. 14, Marauder goalkeeper Brittany Duffey said that the conditions were nothing new for she and her teammates.

“It’s not the first time we’ve played in that kind of condition, so I think we were used to it at that stage,” argued Duffey. “Of course it wasn’t the best game of soccer, but I think we coped well and so did they.

“Really, being in front of our fans helped to give us that extra push that we needed.”

A theme that has reoccurred for the McMaster squad throughout their season is one of raising and lowering their standard of play to match that of their opponents, for better and worse. Duffey agrees that such a trend was on display on Oct. 14.

“I think that was at work a little bit,” said the second-year keeper. “When we play teams like Brock I think we do tend to bring down our level. It did show a bit on Friday, and I think we played hard but we didn’t play as well as we could have.”

One constant in the Marauders’ recent winning streak has been their sterling defensive record, which has seen Duffey claim four shutouts in the team’s last five matches. For her part, the Marauder keeper attributes the clean sheets to a growing understanding amongst she and her defenders.

“If I didn’t have the support of the team, I wouldn’t have confidence in net, and I wouldn’t play as well as I could,” said Duffey. “I really have to commend the defence because we’ve had some tough times but we’ve worked through them and started to communicate better.”

With only two games remaining on their conference schedule, the Marauders will play their final home game on Oct. 21 against the Waterloo Warriors.

Duffey explains that the time is right for a tight game, as Waterloo comes in riding the high of beating the nation’s best and their cross-town rivals from Laurier.

“I think they [Waterloo] will come out with some real confidence,” said the Marauder keeper. “We just have to stay mentally prepared and play our game. Right now, our team is pretty confident.

“If we just keep the momentum that we have, it’ll be a good game.”

The Marauders will look to build on that momentum with a win against the Warriors, which would stand them in good stead for their season-ending clash with the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo.

Game time for the Oct. 21 clash at Ron Joyce is 6 p.m.

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

The Marauders could not possibly ask to round into form at a better time.

With their conference season quickly nearing its conclusion, McMaster finds itself in third position in the OUA West following two key home wins over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Marauders had endured an up and down campaign for much of the season, unable to maintain momentum and build up the sort of winning streak necessary to lock up a top playoff position.

But in consecutive shutout victories over the York Lions and Guelph Gryphons on Oct. 7 and 9 respectively, McMaster may have found the winning formula they’ve been searching for.

The Maroon and Grey began their long weekend on Oct. 7 against the Lions and clinched a 1-0 win thanks to a 78th minute strike from veteran forward Tara Dawdy and a well-ordered defensive effort in front of goalkeeper Brittany Duffey.

McMaster would continue to exhibit similar play two days later, clinching yet another clean sheet against the Guelph Gryphons at Ron Joyce Stadium. Defender Alyssa Fenuta provided an early tally for the Marauders before Tara Dawdy added her second goal of the weekend on a well-taken half volley in the second half.

Once again, the hosts would be stingy in defence, and secured Duffey’s second consecutive clean sheet upon the final whistle. The sophomore keeper’s achievement earned her recognition as this week’s McMaster Female Athlete of the Week.

With only three games remaining on their conference schedule and a record of 6-4-1, the Marauders find themselves in a dogfight for second place in the OUA West Division.

That situation has only been made possible by the team’s newfound form, and team captain Melanie van der Hoop explains that her team’s success is a result of their improved individual performances.

“It’s not only the familiarity with the system, but the consistency of the players as well,” the veteran midfielder said in attributing the Marauders’ winning ways. “It’s a matter of finding a set lineup and once we found the right mix, sticking with it.

“We have a bench where we can actually sub people in and it won’t affect things on the field badly. Being able to bring people in and move them around without losing any of our flow is a huge advantage.

“If we want to change our formation at the half, we can do that because we have the flexibility on and off the bench.”

Instrumental to the Marauders’ recent wins has been the team’s ability to find scoring from multiple sources. For her part, van der Hoop argues that such balance in attack makes McMaster more difficult to play, as opponents can’t key on one player.

“It’s a huge advantage when we don’t have one star player on the team,” said the captain. “That gives us more flexibility and that shows on the scoreboard. We have midfielders and forwards all capable of posing a threat. Nat [Natalie Brace] and Emma [Mangialardi] both play up front but their role is to stay wide.

“So the fact that they’re still getting the shots on goal and finishing the way they are is huge.”

The captain believes that the reason so many of her teammates are making headway has much to do with the coaching style employed by the Marauders’ bench boss Brett Mosen.

“Brett does a really good job in practice of putting people in and letting them experience what he wants the team to do,” argued van der Hoop. “He makes sure that everyone knows what their role is, so that when they get the opportunity they know what to do.”

The next such opportunity on Oct. 14, as McMaster hosts the Brock Badgers in another pivotal late season clash. The importance of gaining maximum points is apparent to van der Hoop but she remarks that despite their record, the Badgers will not be easily subdued.

“They’ve always given us a tough game,” said the captain of her team’s next opponent. “They’re not particularly skillful but they just fight really hard for every ball. That sort of gritty team can get to you, and it’s hard to push past them sometimes because it takes a lot of character to put that aside and play better.”

McMaster faithful will be hoping that van der Hoop and her teammates can do just that on Oct. 14 and lock up three vital points en route to the OUA playoffs. The Friday night clash kicks off at 6 p.m. at Ron Joyce Stadium.