EDMONTON – A late goal after an outstanding second half turnaround gave the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's soccer team a 1-1 tie with the host MacEwan Griffins on Friday night.
The Huskies scored on a broken play off a free kick in the 84th minute when Payton Izsak herself behind the defence and chipped it over Emily Burns' head to tie the game.
MacEwan had held a 1-0 lead for most of the contest when Jamie Erickson headed home Suekiana Choucair's corner kick in the eighth minute and were the better side for the bulk of the contest, outshooting the Huskies 22-10 (8-6 in shots on goal) and dominating corner kicks (9-3).
"I think we deserved better today in the full points, but in this league if you don't take the full points you're not going to walk away with it gifted," said MacEwan head coach Dean Cordeiro. "Good lesson. It's early, but we've got to be a little bit sharper come Sunday, for sure."
Huskies defender Kallie Cowles blocked a sure goal from Meagan Lemoine at the top of the box in the 27th minute. Later, MacEwan's Kaylin Hermanutz couldn't connect with a corner kick that bounced right past her boot deep in the box.
All of that proved costly for the Griffins, who saw a different Huskies side in the second half.
"We didn't really do much," said Saskatchewan head coach Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, whose team took the play to the Griffins early in the second half. "It was just changing our mindset. We have a young team and it was just about believing in our ability and being confident playing our style. If we're going to go down, we're going to go down playing our style and believing in what we do."
Huskies' attacker Taneil Gay threatened the Griffins' defence nearly every time she touched the ball in the second half. She was nearly rewarded for it in the 60th minute when she uncorked a blast from the top of the box that forced Burns to make a diving, highlight-reel save.
Saskatchewan then nearly scored in the 72nd minute when a corner kick had players diving all over the box in a wild scramble but Burns scooped up Cassidy Hayward's shot.
Finally, in the 84th, after a handball by MacEwan's Anna McPhee gave Saskatchewan a free kick from the right of the box, Izsak was able to convert Hayward's pass into a goal. The marker was the first of her Canada West career for the first-year midfielder.
"I thought we played a pretty darn good game and unfortunately succumbed to a late goal," said Cordeiro. "But there was still lots of time. We hit two posts after that and had a couple other chances to close out the match. Unfortunately, we needed two today and only got one.
"I think (their goal) really sparked us to conclude the game in the last 10 minutes or so, but unfortunately it was one of those games that I think we ran out of time."
Indeed, the Griffins were all over the Huskies in the waning moments of the contest, exasperated that they were unable to put it home. McPhee was stopped twice in tight by Jadyn Steinhauer, Brittany Costa hit the post and Meghan Oram blasted a sure goal over the net off a rebound from the middle of the box in the final minute.
MacEwan (1-1-1) will host Regina on Sunday (12 p.m., Clarke Stadium), while Saskatchewan (0-0-3) heads to UNBC on Sunday.
"I thought our first half wasn't the best, but MacEwan's a good team and are experienced," said Barandica-Hamilton. "What a second half for our group. I'm so extremely proud.
"I think a tie, in the end, is maybe a fair result. I think we could have created a little bit more and been a little bit more dangerous. But what a dominant performance in the second half. For a young team, we're so, so excited about what the future holds for us."
