October 7, 2019... WELLAND - The Niagara Knights women's soccer team traveled to Sheridan College Saturday afternoon and played to a 2-2 tie with the Bruins.
In what was a windy afternoon in Oakville, the Knights got off to a rocky start surrendering a goal in the first minute of play by Cathy Cavero (1st year, Stoney Creek). Niagara would respond seven minutes later, on a penalty-kick from Midfielder, Terin Hultink (1st year, Fenwick) to notch her fourth of the season. The Bruins would strike again before the end of the half on a goal from Celina Banard (1st year, Brantford) to end the first 45 minutes leading 2-1.
Both teams were unwilling to give each other an inch for mistakes, playing a close contest for the last half. It began to look as though Sheridan would hang on for the 2-1 win, until St. Catharines native, Katelyn Pressley came up huge for the Knights, netting a goal in the 90th minute of regulation play.
Neither team would capitalize in the five minutes of over-time, resulting in a 2-2 tie.
The race to the finish in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) West division has been a tight one all season. With the regular season coming to a close in just a few weeks, head coach Rob Lalama knows every point is crucial.
"I thought we played a strong game today owning most of the possession," said Lalama. "We allowed two preventable goals caused by mental errors, but I am so proud of this group for not getting down or giving up to earn a well deserved tie against a very good team.
Hultink agreed.
"We made it a little hard on ourselves, but we fought right to the end and landed a very valuable point this late in the season."
The Knights now sit at 4-2-1 on the season, with a Thursday night match-up at Conestoga College (3-4).