LADY VEES PULL OFF LATE DRAW

SUDBURY - The Laurentian Lady Vees soccer team looked to continue their successful weekend and start a winning streak as they took on their northern rivals, the Nipissing Lakers. It took a goal by Erica Duczeminski (Sudbury, Ont.) in the 90th minute for the Lady Vees to come up with a 1-1 draw. The tie brings their record to 1-1-3 on the season.

The Lady Vees got off to a strong start as they controlled the game and kept possession in the Lakers' end. They had many chances but weren't able to take advantage of them. However, in the 22nd minute, the Lakers' Nicole O*Brien lobbed a shot that goalkeeper Meghan Hoffberg (Brampton, Ont.) deflected but still managed to land underneath the crossbar to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. That is how the half ended with the Lady Vees trailing the underdog Lakers 1-0.

In the second half, the Lady Vees continued to put pressure on the Lakers as Krista Pantin (Mississauga, Ont.) had numerous chances but she could not connect. The Lady Vees kept on pressuring the Lakers and finally in the 90th minute, Duczeminski knocked in a corner kick to tie the game 1-1.

At the end of the game, head coach Rob Gallo noted \"It was a messy game for us. Our rookies played very well for us and we put a lot of pressure on them when we switched to three forwards.\"

Gallo also added, \"The story of our year is we cannot finish. We are going to have to improve on that.\"

The Lady Vees will look to improve their record this weekend as they host RMC on Saturday September 16, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. and the Queen's Golden Gaels on Sunday September 17 at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be played at the Laurentian soccer field.

(Source: Laurentian Sports Information.)

(Photo: Lady Vees defender Samantha Falcioni wins a battle and headsthe ball out of harm's way in the first half of a 1-1 draw against Nipissing.)