Three early goals push Mounties past Tigers 3-2
Despite a late charge, the Dalhousie Tigers comeback attempt came up short as they couldn't recover after allowing three goals in the first half.
The Mounties (1-0) came out flying as soon as the game started with a flurry of goals that left last year's second place Tigers (0-1) searching for answers as they entered halftime.
Jane Rouse opened the scoring for the Mounties just ten minutes into play, and Amanda Volcko and Emily Van Diepen each added a goal to push the lead to three and Tigers keeper Rachel Hunt was quickly pulled in favor of backup Katie Mogran.
The new-look Tigers, who lost a large amount of last year's starting lineup, looked lost at times in the first half as they struggled to gain momentum with some sloppy play.
While we'll never know what Tigers coach Jack Hutchison said at halftime, we know one thing: it worked, and it worked well.
The Tigers came out with a sense of urgency and controlled play at both ends of the field, dominating possession and getting quality chances. New Tiger Michelle Yates put a beautiful ball past the Mounties keeper to trim the lead to two in the 52nd minute. Yates led the surge for the Tigers and was unstoppable on the offensive end. She added another tally after firing a bullet of a header to the back of the net to make it a one-goal game.
Despite a flurry of chances, the Tigers couldn't bury an equalizer in the dying minutes as the Mounties backline couldn't be broken. Mounties keeper and Subway Payer of the Game Tessa Ritchie made a number of clutch saves, and Victoria Parkison's last minute corner went wide and the Mounties went on to win 3-2.
The Tigers wil have to put the tough loss behind them when they face the Acadia Axewomen tomorrow at 1:00pm at home, while the Mounties head back home to face the StFX X-Women as they look to start the season 2-0.