M-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Voyageurs leave much to be desired in season opener
SUDBURY, ON – The Laurentian Voyageurs soccer team opened up their season this evening against the Nipissing Lakers looking to continue their recent dominance over their northern rivals. Unfortunately for the Voyageurs, they came out flat and were simply unable to generate any offensive scoring chances of note. Nipissing capitalized on one of their lone opportunities and defended well as a unit, stealing the game 1-0 after only winning two games all of last season.
The Voyageurs debut has come with much excitement with one of the better recruiting classes in recent years. This evening’s line-up featured three rookies as captain Davor Alisic (Charlottetown, PEI) was serving a one game suspension from last years playoff loss to Carleton. As the game began Laurentian looked to make use of their superior skill and speed, moving the ball around the pitch with ease. Second year midfielder Ason Harry (Scarborough, ON) provided much of the early offensive spark, utilizing his speed on the wing. Unfortunately with all the possession, the Voyageurs struggled to gain penetration and any real good scoring opportunities. The longer a team of inferior ability is left in the game, the more a chance exists to be burned. In the 28th minute Nipissing took full advantage of an error in judgement and communication down the right wing. Fifth year forward Shayn Karn (Callander, ON) picked up the loose ball and placed the ball into the back of the net from a poor angle. Back and forth play resumed for the rest of the half as Nipissing took the lead 1-0 into halftime.
As the second half commenced, the Voyageurs looked to get back into the game through quick balls down the wing. Nipissing struggled to match Laurentian’s speed on the outside, and the Voyageurs looked to generate a few quality crosses but were unable to take full advantage. As the half progressed Nipissing again started to move the ball with more consistency, breaking through the middle in the 60th minute but Matt George (Brampton, ON) made a wonderful stop, keeping the Voyageurs in it. The final thirty of the match was rather dull with Laurentian attempting to score the equalizer. Nipissing went into a shell quite effectively and easily dismissed the majority of the Laurentian attack. As the game wound down and with Laurentian still continuing to press, the Lakers defense responded with a few timely tackles and clearances to hold of the Voyageurs and steal a game on the road 1-0.
The Voyageurs will look to rebound when they take on the Trent Excalibur Saturday, back at Laurentian at 2:15 p.m.
Source: Laurentian Sports Info
