After an opening night 1-0 loss to the Cape Breton Capers, the Varsity Blues women’s soccer team took to the pitch this afternoon against the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks in the hopes of securing a spot in Sunday’s fifth place game.
Despite the Blues controlling the majority of play early on, the best chance in the first few minutes came when Laurier midfielder Kiara Reyes was brought down just inside the Toronto penalty box. With the infraction occurring close to the line, the Blues’ defense was given the benefit of the doubt, with a free kick being awarded in place of a penalty. The Toronto defense subsequently shut down the ensuing Laurier attempt, much to the chagrin of the Golden Hawks faithful.
Less than five minutes later, the Blues took advantage of their good fortune, with defender Diana Esteireiro scoring a beautiful free kick from well outside the box. It was a lovely strike, with Esteireiro putting the ball over the Laurier wall and into the top right corner past sprawling keeper Maggie Carmichael.
The goal proved to be a wake-up call for the Golden Hawks, who out-chanced the Blues for the rest of the half, ultimately capitalizing in the 33 minute. Laurier forward Emily Brown set up an open Julie Maheu, who put a shot into the top left corner past Blues goaltender Sara Petrucci. It was an incredible kick from nearly 30 yards out, setting the stage for a nerve-wracking second half.
The Blues came out flying after the break, significantly out-chancing Laurier for the bulk of the final 45 minutes. They were however stymied by the excellent play of Carmichael and the Laurier defense.
It wasn’t until the 86 minute that the Blues finally broke the deadlock, with midfielder Nicki Parkes setting up fellow rookie Claudia Piazza for the game winner. After corralling a great Parkes feed in the box, Piazza made no mistake, blasting a shot past Carmichael for the victory.
After the match, Varsity Blues head coach Anthony Capotosto praised his team’s effort saying that it was “a big display after yesterday’s loss,” and credited the team for showing that they are among the nation’s best. Echoing this sentiment was Varsity Blues goalkeeper Sara Petrucci, who said that she felt as though the Blues really showed who they were.
The Varsity Blues will play for fifth place in their final game of the tournament on Sunday morning against the Laval Rouge et Or.
