This past weekend, the MUN Sea-Hawks Women’s Soccer Team clinched a spot in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoffs after picking up two wins against Acadia and Mount Allison.
Their first match of the weekend took place on Friday against Acadia University, where they won 1-0 in a very close game.
There wasn’t much to deliberate in this matchup; it remained close throughout, and both teams’ offences were shut down. In the first half, Memorial only mustered one shot on goal, while Acadia got two shots, both of which were squandered by Sea-Hawks keeper Leana Claude.
The second half was much of the same as each team struggled to get by their opponent’s defences. Acadia only made one shot attempt.
No one managed to get a shot on goal in the second half until the 66th minute, when MUN’s Zoe Rowe finally put a crooked number on the board, adding her AUS-leading 11th goal of the season.
That would be all the offence required in the game, as MUN continued to shut down any attempt Acadia made at scoring a goal, going on to win 1-0.
This was a huge win for Memorial, as they sat just one point behind Acadia on the leaderboard. Winning this game meant that they would jump ahead, improving their odds of earning a top-two spot in the AUS standings.
MUN explodes offensively in blowout win vs. Mount Allison
Friday night’s game was a defensive showdown.
Sunday’s game displayed very strong offence; four different players scored for the Sea-Hawks in a whirlwind match where they scored a whopping six goals.
Zoe Rowe was responsible for two goals, opening the scoring in the 3rd minute, and closing the first half with a 44th-minute goal.
Jen Milligan also scored two goals in this match, scoring in the 22nd minute and the final goal of the match in the 79th minute.
Two other Sea-Hawks scored in this match. Ellie Power scored her first goal of the year in the 41st minute, while Claire Langille scored her third of the year in the 78th minute.
The final score was 6-0, the second biggest win on the season record for the Sea-Hawks, which ultimately led to them securing a playoff spot.
MUN in 3rd place entering final games of the season
The Memorial Sea-Hawks will enter their final stretch of the season comforted by knowing they have clinched a playoff spot. However, the team will still have a lot to play for, as they’ll be fighting for a top-two spot in the AUS, which would lead them straight into the semi-finals.
Their final two games of the season will take place on October 17th and 18th when StFX comes to town.
If the Sea-Hawks win both games, they will finish in second place, at the very least. Even if they don’t win both games, they could still finish in the top two, though winning both would guarantee that victory.
Men’s team picks up four points over the weekend
The men’s soccer team was also in action, picking up four points on the weekend, which has placed them back into a playoff spot.
Their first match of the weekend was against Acadia, where they would tie 1-1.
Kyle Ryan scored the lone goal for MUN in the 13th minute, while Acadia’s Blaise Mellema scored the game-tying goal early in the second half.
This was a huge triumph for the Sea-Hawks, as they previously lost four straight games, leaving them one point behind Acadia in the standings. Tying allowed them to keep up pace with the Axemen, while also earning the opportunity to potentially pass them in their second game.
MUN’s second game was versus league-worst Mount Allison Mounties, who are winless so far this year. The Sea-Hawks procured a massive victory over the Mounties in a close game, 1-0.
The only goal of the match came from Hashem Khalifa, who scored in the 12th minute.
While Memorial was in control throughout the match, Mount Allison did have some windows to score during the second half of the game, making this game quite close and exciting.
MUN sits in final playoff spot entering the last weekend of regular season
The Sea-Hawks have yet to clinch a playoff spot, so when StFX comes to town next Friday and Saturday, it will be the biggest series of the season for the Sea-Hawks.
MUN has great odds to clinch the playoffs and control their own destiny. If they can win one game and tie one game, Acadia wouldn’t be able to catch up, securing the Sea-Hawks the final playoff spot.
There are a lot of other factors that will come into them securing a place in the finals next weekend, however, if they manage to keep winning, they’ll be in.
