Five alive! Huskies defeat Axemen 4-1 for fifth straight win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acadia (1-3-2, 1-3-2) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Saint Mary's (5-2-0, 5-2-0) | 3 | 1 | 4 |
HALIFAX, NS – The league-leading Saint Mary's Huskies won their fifth straight game, defeating the Acadia Axemen 4-1 on Thursday night at Huskies Stadium in Halifax.
Coming off of four straight wins on the road, the Huskies were eager for their first win on home turf. It took just 20 minutes for the Huskies to open the scoring, as midfielder Scott Firth (Windsor Junction, NS) looped a pass over the top of the defence onto the foot of first year forward Will Brown (Halifax, NS), who took two touches to evade Axemen goalkeeper Dylan Legere (Upper Tantallon, NS) and sent a shot into the bottom left corner to open the scoring in the 20th minute.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) September 19, 2024
Will 'the Thrill' Brown scores his second goal in as many games, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute!
Watch live: https://t.co/ivO3RkZAin pic.twitter.com/GbuiNNYbaD
Brown nearly scored again just three minutes later, as he was on the receiving end of a corner kick from defender Woody Bain (Dartmouth, NS), but narrowly missed a header left of the far post.
The Huskies would double their lead in the 34th minute, as forward Colby Mercer (Beaverbank, NS) – the two-time reigning AUS Athlete of the Week – continued his torrid scoring pace. Huskies forward Sean Freeman (Halifax, NS) played a pass over to Mercer who deked out the defender and launched a looping, bending shot from 25 yards out, that picked the top right corner to extend the lead to 2-0. It was Mercer's AUS leading seventh goal and eighth point of the season – all coming over the Huskies five game win streak.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) September 19, 2024
Colby Mercer cannot be stopped!!! Tonight's Mercer Magic trick is a sick bender from 25 yards out to double the Huskies lead to 2-0! pic.twitter.com/jopX3hsQLY
Saint Mary's would add a third goal just before half, as a Woody Bain free-kick grazed the head of Scott Firth and ended up in the back of the net, giving the hosts a 3-0 lead in the 41st minute.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) September 19, 2024
Woody Bain's free-kick finds the head of Scott Firth, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead at the half! pic.twitter.com/o1oupnvl4D
The Huskies would add to their lead just two minutes into the second half, as Brown played a pass back to midfielder Jake Wilcox (Halifax, NS) who took one touch and fired a low, bouncing shot that beat Legere to his left, extending the lead to 4-0 in the 47th minute.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ⚽️
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) September 19, 2024
Jake Wilcox scores his first career @AUS_SUA goal, extending the Huskies lead to 4-0 early in the second half! pic.twitter.com/IiIk6WOEZb
Acadia would cut into the lead in the 89th minute, as a corner kick from winger Blaise Mellema (Dartmouth, NS) bounced into the box and was directed into goal by defender Max Rogers (Weston, NS), making the final score 4-1.
Huskies forward Will Brown was named Player of the Match with a goal and an assist, while midfielder Scott Firth added a goal and an assist of his own.
The Huskies fifth straight win improves their record to a league-best 5-2-0 on the season. Saint Mary's will look to keep their streak alive as they host the Dalhousie Tigers (1-1-3) on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. at Huskies Stadium.
The Axemen loss drops their record to 1-3-2 on the campaign. Acadia will also be on home field on Sunday, hosting the STFX X-Men (2-0-2) at 3:15 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
