After close to a three-week break to licks their wounds and cure what’s ailing an alleged high-octane offence, the Memorial Sea-Hawks women’s soccer team returns to action this weekend with a pair of Atlantic University Sport soccer games in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.
The Sea-Hawks, following a 4-0 start, are winless in their last four games, but even more troubling is the fact Memorial has been blanked in each game.
But there is a ray of sunlight in what otherwise has been a black cloud hovering over the Sea-Hawks: the Holy Cross Avalon Ford squad, which won a bronze medal in the Canadian Jubilee Trophy women’s soccer playoffs a couple of weeks ago in Surrey, B.C., outscored the opposition 8-1 in a pair of preliminary games at nationals.
Eleven members of Holy Cross play for the Sea-Hawks, including striker Jessie Noseworthy, who is tied for third in AUS scoring with five goals.
“We’re definitely hoping to build on that experience in B.C.,” she said prior to today’s game in Charlottetown against UPEI and Sunday’s tilt against Acadia in Wolfville, N.S. “Hopefully the medal at nationals will be a revival of sorts to the team.
“There’s no doubt we’ve had our scoring difficulties lately. But going up to nationals and having success, scoring some goals and making it to the medal round, really gave a lot of the girls who play for MUN a good boost of confidence.”
Despite the slump, the Sea-Hawks are still in the thick of it in the conference at 4-1-3, in fourth place and a point behind Acadia and Dalhousie.
“It’s super tight in the standings,” Noseworthy said. “It comes down now to who puts the most work in.”
“With playoffs right around the corner, we have a critical weekend ahead of us,” said midfielder Nicole Torraville. “After a strong week of training, staying focused won’t be a problem for us this weekend.”
After this weekend series, the Sea-Hawks close out their regular season Friday and Saturday at home against the University of Moncton.
The men’s Sea-Hawks squad is 4-4 on the season, clinging to the sixth and final playoff spot with UPEI. Memorial also plays at UPEI and Acadia this weekend, making today’s game against the Panthers on the island all the more important.
Memorial has lost four of its past five games. The Sea-Hawks last played Oct. 1 when they defeated the UNB Varsity Reds 1-0 at King George Fifth, snapping the four-game losing streak.
The Sea-Hawks’ Tyler Forsey has seven goals on the year, second-most in the conference.
