by Adam Aucoin
The Algonquin Tomahawks’ communication and technical passing skills were too much for the Hawks in their 3-0 win at Riverside Park on September 25.
The first half started off and Algonquin seized control of the ball. They made many good technical passes and closed in on the Hudson net. They got on the board first as well, when Algonquin’s Amanda Murphy put a shot in the upper left-hand corner of the net past senior goalie Kara Knights. This would make the game 1-0 in Algonquin’s favor. This would be the last scoring for a long time with both teams cracking down on defense after the goal.
The T’Hawks would continue to control the ball after the goal and seemed to communicate great with each other. You could hear the players talking to each other saying where they’re going to be and when. They seemed like a well-oiled machine, and, while the Hawks played okay, they weren’t playing with the same intensity that Algonquin was playing with.
The game would continue, and Algonquin would get a scoring chance, but senior goalie Kara Knights made a diving save to keep the game 1-0. Hudson would get their first great scoring chance when junior Fernanda Dourado closed in on the Algonquin goalie, but missed the goal. This would be one of the few chances that the Hawks would get to score a goal.
“I think that even though we came out really strong in the beginning,” senior Lauren Priess said, “we had trouble transitioning from defense to offense and moving as a team.”
Hudson was not very aggressive in the first half, and it cost them dearly. The Tomahawks seemed to have control throughout this half. The rest of the first half was pretty much a defensive battle, and the game went into the half 1-0 Algonquin.
The second half started just as the first ended. The game continued to be very defensive with both teams playing pretty well. Hudson struggled to keep the ball out of their end, and it prohibited them from making any progress down the field.
Knights would make another great save and seemed to be playing well despite the fast attack by the Tomahawks. The Tomahawks were a really well conditioned team and never seemed to get tired, like the Hawks did.
There were a few scoring chances midway through the second half, but none of them came to fruition. There was a nice attempted header for a goal by Algonquin, but it would miss. The Algonquin goalie wasn’t tested too much throughout the game. Hudson tried to get through the Algonquin defense, but couldn’t break them.
The Tomahawks would add a few late goals with a corner kick to a header for a goal by Carly Demelio and then a goal by Lucy Leblond to make the game 3-0. The Algonquin Tomahawks would go on to win 3-0.
“I think if we continue to control the game by making better passes on the ground,” senior Marisa Duplisea said, “then we will be seeing a lot more success.”
“We have a lot of games coming up in which we hope to continue our improvement and develop as a team,” Preiss said. “Even though our record doesn’t reflect it, we have seen major improvements between every game, and I think we have played much better as a team.”
