Ancaster, ON: Your Niagara Knights (2-4-1) faced the Redeemer Royals (4-1) in a weeknight matchup. Although it was a tightly contested game for 90 minutes, the Knights would fall short losing 2-1.
The Knights showed a lot of heart going into the game knowing the Royals would be a hardworking team on every play. They went back and forth with chances in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net. With another stellar performance from first year goalie Nolan Freel, they were 0-0 going into the half.
The Knights continued to fight throughout the second half and made for a physical and tough match. The Royals were able to find success in the 57th minute of play off a set piece and made the game 1-0. The Knights had one last strong push but could not create enough offensive opportunities, falling 2-0 to a strong Royals team.
The Knights see this as a building opportunity, as the Knights were doing the right things but unable to capitalize on their chances. "When we pressured them, good things happened. We just didn't maintain pressure long enough to generate a string of positive moments" said coach Frank Dechellis on the Knights gameplan. The Knights look to develop their gameplan by understanding where they may have gone wrong in this game and building on that feedback.
Team captain and third year student-athlete Noah Vogel stated his thoughts on the game saying "I thought the team had a lot of bright spots, but we still deal with the same issues that make us unsuccessful. This loss hurts but will only help us be better in the long run as we reach the final stretch of our season".
The Knights will take advantage of a week's rest as they will recover, train and prepare to face the Conestoga Condors (2-2-1) for the second time this season on Wednesday, October 3rd at 8pm on the road.
Written by: Jack Soares, Niagara College
