Tigers defeat Huskies 4-1 in Halifax Derby

HALIFAX, NS – The Dalhousie Tigers came out on top with a 4-1 win against local rivals Saint Mary's Huskies on Wednesday night at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.

The first quality chance of the match came in the 10^th minute when Tigers forward Sally Steinberg (Hamilton, ON) swiftly dribbled past the Huskies defense, but her shot was saved by a diving Grace Morrison (Halifax, NS).

Just a couple of minutes later Steinberg was able to catch a vulnerability in the Huskies defense causing a turnover in the box, and passed a ball onto forward Elise Evans (Toronto, ON), who went on to score the first goal of the game, putting the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the 19^th minute.

Less than a minute later, the Tigers would strike again, as the Huskies conceded a penalty kick, and defender Bailey Hatcher (Middle Sackville, NS) was able to convert, securing a comfortable 2-0 lead for Dalhousie early into the first half.

Huskies forward Cara Freeman (Halifax, NS) tried to answer back at the next possession, but her shot ended up hitting the left post. Freeman kept creating many more chances throughout the rest of the first half, but her efforts could not ultimately make difference on the scoreboard.

In the 32^nd minute, Evans scored her second of the game coming off a corner kick from defender Paris Axam (Ottawa, ON), extending the Tigers lead to 3-0.

Saint Mary's phenomenal attempt at closing off the first half with a goal was stopped in its tracks by Tigers keeper Emily Toth (Markham, ON) keeping their clean sheet alive into the second half.

In the second half saw an even more aggressive Tigers attack, with goal scorer Evans getting some open looks that could not find the back of the net. However, later in the 75^th minute Dalhousie forward Taylor Heard (Ottawa, ON) was able to connect and score another goal for the Tigers to extend their run to 4-0.

Huskies would cut into the lead after forward Lindy Brunelle's (Keswick, ON) shot was blocked, but Cara Freeman capitalized on the rebound to score her seventh of the season and cut the lead to 4-1, which would be the final score.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️

Cara Freeman scores her seventh goal of the season, cutting the @DalTigers lead to 4-1 in the second half. pic.twitter.com/7OZguPt9yX

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 4, 2023

The Player of the Game was awarded to Tigers defender Bailey Hatcher (Middle Sackville, NS) for her penalty kick goal and exceptional defensive play.

The Huskies loss snaps a two game win-streak and drops their record to 3-5-1 on the campaign. They'll be back in action for a pair of games next week - Friday night at Acadia, 5 p.m. in Wolfville, before returning to Huskies Stadium for a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon matchup against UPEI, part of Saint Mary's Homecoming Celebrations.

The Tigers win improves their record to 4-4-1 on the season. Dalhousie will also have a pair of games next weekend, visiting Moncton on Saturday afternoon before hosting Acadia on Sunday, with both games at 1 p.m.

Recap by Vivek Philendra / Saint Mary's Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Athletics