It was a night to remember for Michelle Maecker (Fonthill) and the rest of the Niagara Knights women's soccer program (4-2, 2nd OCAA West). The Knights hosted the Lambton Lions (0-6, 6th OCAA West) on September 26th and were looking to extend their winning streak to two games after their victory against the Redeemer Royals on September 22nd.
Coming into the game against the Lions, Maecker had two goals on the season and eight in her OCAA career with the Knights, which put her two-goals shy of the Niagara Knights record for career goals scored.
It didn't take long for the Knights to get on the board, as Maecker scored the game's first goal in just the 4th minute. After the Lions tied things up in the 28th minute off a free-kick, Maecker got her chance at history and she didn't miss.
Maecker's second goal of the game came off of a free-kick of her own, giving her four goals on the season and 10 in her Niagara Knights career. Her 10th goal ties her with former Knight Jackie Lawther, who scored her 10 goals between 2014 and 2016.
Just before the whistle blew for half, Katelyn Mix (Gilford) scored her third goal of the season to give her team a two-goal lead. The Knights would end up winning 3-2 and earning another important three points.
Head coach Rob Lalama was impressed with the way his team performed to start the second half of the season.
"I'm so proud of the team tonight," said Lalama. "We moved the ball well and ran for 90 minutes. This is a tight group who are very supportive of each other. I've challenged them to improve on our first half of the season and tonight was a good start."
Trailing the OCAA West leading Fanshawe Falcons (6-0, 1st OCAA West) by 6 points, every game is crucial if the Knights want to have a shot at winning the division.
"I can see improvement with our team every day," said Maecker. "It is so satisfying that all our hard work is paying off and it shows by how well we are working together. Our strikers are getting more comfortable shooting and we are communicating better. This team has improved a lot from last year and I'm excited to see where the last four games take us."
The Knights have definitely shown improvement over last season, already reaching four wins on the season which took them all the way until the final game of the season last year to do.
As the team plays their final four games of the season, all eyes will be on Maecker as she attempts to solidify her name atop of the women's soccer record books. The first of the final four games comes against the Mohawk Mountaineers (3-1-2, 3rd OCAA West). The teams battled it out once already this season when the Knights dropped their regular season opener 3-0.
The Knights travel to Ancaster to take on the Mohawk Mountaineers on Saturday, September 29th. The game will be played at Royals Soccer Complex (777 Garner Road East) with kick-off set for 2pm.
