Western and Windsor play to 0-0 draw Wednesday night

LONDON, Ont. – After a hard fought 90 minutes, Western walked away from Mustangs Field on Wednesday night with a 0-0 draw with the Windsor Lancers.
 
"It was a tough game, Windsor is a tough team," said Mustangs head coach Martin Painter. "They're a well organized team and very strong defensively, always on the counter attack. The first half was even, maybe they even played better. But the second half I think we played a very strong half. We controlled the game and unfortunately couldn't get the final touch in the box."
 
The first 45 saw two shots on the Windsor goal from the Mustangs, with both Amanda Boyle and Amy Lintack forcing goalie Kristen Lawrence to stay on her toes. Stefanie Di Tella and Grace Grafham also got in on the action, adding an additional three shots.
 
Lawrence played an aggressive game from the net, at one point shooting out into packs of athletes to intercept a corner kick.
 
Netminder Megan Girardi saw lighter traffic than Lawrence, with standout defenders Jess Viera, Jenna White and Abbey Young keeping Windsor to just one shot throughout the half.
 
Moving into the second half the Mustangs continued to drive to the net, with Nikki Balachorek, Jess Friend, Kim Van Duynhoven, and Di Tella all narrowly missing the mark.
 
The Lancers, however, were also finding their way to the opposite end of the field. Kristyn Hodgins twice carried the ball down to the purple and white end, though neither of her shots resulted in a goal. In both cases, Western's defence blocked the shot and sent the ball back to midfield.
 
"Our whole defensive unit was good" said Painter. "I thought in that second half when Kim came on she changed the game in a positive way for us. Defensively we were very good."
 
"We got a lot more confidence [in the second half] and played with a lot more composure. We got a touch and then actually played it, instead of just kicking it down the field. […] We're definitely building on out game."
 
The Mustangs are back on the home field on Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4 when the Algoma Thunderbirds come down to London. Saturday's is scheduled to begin at 1p.m. while Sunday's is set for 12p.m.
 
"We're definitely not taking it lightly" said Van Duynhovn about the upcoming weekend. "We need to build on our runs up top and make sure we get some scoring chances. Even if we get up a couple goals we have to keep going. I think that's what we need to work on, our attacking going forward, being in the box, and taking shots."

Source: Western Mustangs