September 6, 2024
WELLAND, ONT: The Niagara College women's soccer team (1-0) welcomed the Humber Hawks (0-1) to their home field at Youngs Sportsplex this past Friday night, defeating the visitors 2-1 in their opening game of the season.
Niagara started the game off on the wrong foot giving away a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the second minute, with the Hawks slotting it away to give the visiting side a 1-0 lead. The Knights responded back well - controlling the ball and moving it with a sense of urgency. They were able to put a lot of pressure on the Hawks' back line, recording 8 shot attempts and forcing 5 saves from the opposing goalkeeper. In the 23rd minute the Knights were able to pull a goal back through second year winger Ashley Phillips, who was able to calmly slot the ball into the bottom corner after a huge scramble in front of the goal. The Knights and Hawks went into the halftime break even at one goal apiece.
The rest of the game was a cagey affair with the two teams having many opportunities to take the lead. The crowd witnessed first year player, Cienna Toromoreno, dominate the midfield and in the 74th minute was dragged down inside the box to win a penalty shot for the Knights. Toromoreno was given the opportunity to give her team the lead and take the penalty she won – she stepped up to the spot, and like a veteran, she confidently smashed the ball into the roof of the net to give the Knights a one goal advantage with only 15 minutes left to play. Your Knights were able to stray strong defensively and seal an opening day victory on home soil.
"Despite going down early, we showed a lot of character" Rob Lalama, head coach of the Knights' women's soccer team said proudly. Lalama continued to say that he was "really pleased with how the team competed tonight and battling back to earn our first victory of the season is a great feeling."
The Knights' next home games will be a back-to-back on Saturday, September 15th and Sunday, September 16th, as the Lambton Lions and St. Clair Saints stroll into Youngs Sportsplex. Hope to see all you Knights fans there!
