Hamilton, ON- While the McMaster Marauders women’s soccer team has scored plenty of goals this season, their most recent win marked something different.
McMaster head coach Garrett Peters called their 2-0 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Sept. 24. a “professional win.”
“They just didn’t make mistakes and took care of business where we could and it was just an all-around good performance,” Peters noted.
It was the Marauders’ third consecutive victory. They beat the Golden Hawks 3-2 in a late come-from-behind fashion a couple of days earlier. Trailing 2-1, Jade Abreo scored in the 77th minute before Ravina Braich notched the game-winner in the 89th minute. The team has yet to lose this season and now sit atop the OUA West division and are second in the OUA.
They’ve played a style where they’re always creating chances, always giving themselves an opportunity to score goals according to Peters. That was evident in their first win over the Golden Hawks. He credited the team’s confidence and calmness in creating chances and capitalizing on their opportunities.
“We remained calm and we weren’t really worried,” defender Lindsey Barwitzki said. “We knew we had more to give.”
Leading into their games versus Laurier, they focused on winning second balls and staying tight defensively. In their second game, one of those second balls came from a corner kick in the 25th minute. The ball was swung in and while Bryanna Caldwell’s shot was stopped, her centre back partner Sara Vogel scored the rebounds – marking her first career McMaster goal.
They had been working on winning second balls off of corners, according to Peters. Against Laurier, it paid off.
Barwitzki mentioned how the team gave up some lucky bounces in the first game but made sure they were first on second balls the following match. She called it a confidence thing.
“Can you get there first and can you be strong enough,” she noted. “I think today we all went in there clear head and we wanted it more and we wanted to win and wanted the six-point weekend and we didn’t want to let them get on the ball at all.”
The Marauders added to their lead as Abreo scored off a free kick just outside the box. Peters mentioned how Abreo’s been working on them. “I wasn’t surprised,” he added. “I actually thought she was going to score it.”
McMaster defended stoutly the rest of the way, although they conceded a hand ball penalty late on. However, McMaster goalkeeper Ali Mudie saved Jyanessa Sealy’s shot to keep the clean sheet – their third in the last four games.
One player who made her impact is Barwitzki. Peters pointed out how she was involved in several of the goals in both games. “She’s just so stable and an all-star nominee for this year,” he added.
The roots of her performance dates back to the preseason when Peters asked Barwitzki how she likes to get onto the ball. It’s something she hadn’t really done before. Peters told her ways she could.
“I’ve really been able to connect with the players around me in a way that’s more comfortable for me and just natural,” Barwitzki said. The confidence Peters and her teammates have in her helped as well.
As a result, Barwitzki finds she’s able to get into those spaces in the offensive end more this season and create chances for teammates. As a response, her teammates have been finishing them. Barwitzki also notched her first OUA goal in a 11-0 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds while also collecting three assists.
With another six-point weekend in the books, the Marauders have a home-and-home with the York Lions next.
With the OUA playoffs being a win-or-go-home situation, the focus is on peaking by then. “I think we still have a few things to tidy up but I’m very happy with where we’ve come so far,” Peters noted.
Barwitzki said they were in a good spot heading into the preseason, with many returning players. The ones that did join were welcomed into a “tight knit family”, according to her.
It’s an environment where everyone knows everyone. Where they’re always around each other. Where they all want each other to succeed.
“We want to win for each other and for the team,” Barwitzki added. “I think at the end of the day, we’re just having a lot of fun this year.”
Featured Image: Briana Da Silva/McMaster Athletics