Huskies and Reds play to 1-1 draw in Halifax

HALIFAX, NS – The Saint Mary's Huskies and UNB REDS played to a 1-1 draw in a physical, back-and-forth match on Friday night at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.

The Saint Mary's attack started firing on all cylinders right from the very beginning. Huskies forward Sean Freeman's (Halifax, NS) short cross came from the right wing at the 4^th minute to find the foot of the forward Jalen Loague (London, ON) at the perfect time, giving the Huskies an early 1-0 lead.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️

Jalen Loague scores his first of the season on a great ball from Sean Freeman to put the Huskies in front 1-0 early. pic.twitter.com/t7maJR1d2E

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) September 30, 2023

Saint Mary's kept pushing, with midfielder Colby Mercer's (Beaverbank, NS) high cross at the 8^th minute giving the home team fantastic chance at extending the lead, but the Huskies attack was unable to capitalize.

Mercer's speed continued to put pressure on the opponent, as he had another dangerous run in the 29^th minute, but was no match for the REDS well-coordinated defense, who swiftly tackled him away.

After multiple sustained efforts by UNB's attack, striker Keji Adeniyi (London, UK) was able to break through a tough-knit Huskies defense at the 32^nd minute to score an equalizer before closing off the first half.

A 39^th minute close range free-kick attempt at a second goal by Huskies' midfielder Scott Firth was meticulously pushed away by REDS goalkeeper Mahmoud Moustafa (Stratford, PE), leaving the game tied 1-1 at half-time.

The second half saw a much more aggressive Huskies team, dominating the attack in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Three minutes into the second half Mercer got an open-look off a brilliantly deceptive pass from midfielder Nathaniel Langille (St. Margaret's Bay, NS), but could not make it past the one-one-one battle with the REDS goalkeeper Moustafa.

REDS striker Stefan D'Ambrigio (Toronto, ON) tried to chip away at extending the lead in the 65^th minute but fired a shot high off the crossbar. Saint Mary's goalkeeper Ryan Davis (Lake Loon, NS) dove left in the 70^th minute to stop a dangerous look from the REDS attack.

At the 72^nd minute, Huskies forward Moe Zeina (Mill Cove, NS) came in off the bench and made his presence be felt immediately with a long shot at the right bottom corner, which was put to a stop by a diving Moustafa at the near post. Both goalkeepers kept making impossible saves throughout the final stretch as the pressure ramped up, while the Player of the Game, Huskies defender Callum Corkum (Camperdown, NS) stayed on Adeniyi throughout the end to prevent another goal from the 2022 AUS MVP. 

Huskies kept trying to find chances all throughout the final ten minutes and into stoppage-time, but nothing was able to find the back of the net. At the end of extra time, both teams earned a hard-fought single point in the 1-1 draw.

The Huskies second straight draw bring their record to 3-2-2 on the season. They'll look to get back in the win column on Saturday, as they host the Moncton Aigles Bleus at 7:15 p.m. at Huskies Stadium.

The REDS draw brings their record to 5-1-2. They'll continue their Halifax road trip Saturday, taking on the Dalhousie Tigers at 7:15 p.m. in Halifax.

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