An upset in Toronto and looking ahead to McMaster, Western battles
Toronto, Ont. (via Ben Steiner) – The second week of the OUA women’s soccer season certainly didn’t disappoint. The Ottawa Gee-Gees needed a corner kick goal from Maya Smith to squeak past the Queen’s Gaels in the 2023 OUA Final rematch, the TMU Bold captured a historic result, and six teams remain unbeaten, among other major storylines.
Let’s get caught up on the biggest moments and take a look ahead to Week 3 in the OUA.
TMU prevail over U of T for the first time away from home
Before Week 2, the TMU Bold women’s soccer program had only beaten the Toronto Varsity Blues once in 29 attempts. Goals from Taliyah Walker and Aalayah Lully, as well as a standout performance between the sticks for Elisa Paolucci powered the Bold to a 2-1 win at Varsity Stadium, capturing their second-ever win over the Blues, and first away win.
In the big and small pictures, it’s a massive victory for TMU. A program that has had borderline success at points and has seldom made the postseason showed they can compete against a Varsity Blues team with high aspirations this season.
The Bold may not have reached the heights of programs like the Gaels, Gee-Gees, York Lions, or even Varsity Blues, but they have shown their ability to challenge and frustrate in recent seasons. So far in 2024, they’re showing they can win, too, a critical step in their program’s progression.
While the Varsity Blues controlled large portions of the match, the Bold were able to hold down most attacks, and regularly stifled possession in the middle of the pitch, forcing Toronto to play the ball wide, where they were unable to deliver crosses up to the usual standard.
In defending plays in from wide areas, Emily Porteous, Kennedy Pryce, and Tierra Bennett did well to win second balls, while Porteous made a headed goal-line clearance on one of Toronto’s better chances in the second half.
Moving ahead, the Bold look to matches against the Trent Excalibur and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in Week 3, two teams they’ve found success against in recent seasons. Don’t look now, but the Bold could get on a roll.
Western, McMaster set for two-leg battle
Two of the most exciting teams in the OUA over the last several years get set to battle in Week 3, with matches in Hamilton and London on Friday and Sunday, respectively. A week after Queen’s and Ottawa offered a rematch of the 2023 OUA final, fans get treated to two matches of the McMaster Marauders and Western Mustangs, the two teams from last season’s OUA bronze medal game.
Western, the U SPORTS 5th-place finishers from 2023, have gotten off to a strong start in 2024, with two wins against the Algoma Thunderbirds, followed by a win and draw against the Brock Badgers. Yet, considering the heights they reached in 2023, head coach Martin Painter's team has potential for more.
Western's biggest strength through their recent run has been the partnership of Tessa Dubois-Phillip and Avarie Thomas. They have had stellar starts to 2024, combining for nine of Western’s 10 goals.
A second-year forward, Dubois-Phillip constantly forced Algoma defenders to make quick decisions in Week 1. The same goes for Thomas, whose five goals and near-perfect finishing already have her reaching career highs, having netted more goals this season than in her previous two years combined.
In addition to the high-scoring pair, Mackenzie Bilotta's continued strong midfield play has been beneficial for the Mustangs, who will hope to control play against McMaster through the two legs.
It won’t be easy; however, with the Marauders boasting strength across the roster, coming in off a 1-0 win and 3-3 draw against the Windsor Lancers to stay undefeated. In Week 1, the Marauders drew York and defeated Brock.
Although the Marauders have various ways to play and find success, they’re at their best when attacking midfielder Jade Abreo and striker Alena Spehar link up, and the duo have combined for four goals this season.
Yet they also boast the ability to score on set-pieces and from attacking defenders, with centre-back Bryanna Caldwell leading the team with four goals.
Under head coach Garrett Peters, the team has grown into a veteran-savvy and versatile roster that can adapt to any opponent. The question remains, though, how they will stack up against Western, with the two games bound to hold immense value down the stretch.
