The Memorial Sea-Hawks (6-2-0) will try to continue building their momentum when they hit the road this weekend, they will face off against the UPEI Panthers (1-4-4) and the Acadia Axewomen (6-2-2).
The 3rd place Sea-Hawks have enjoyed tremendous play from both ends of the pitch throughout the season, the team's balanced play at both ends of the field has been the main reason for their success. The Sea-Hawks attack is led by forward Holly O'Neill (5G), who's 5 goals position her second among AUS players, while other key contributors Claire Langille (3G, 1A) and Zoe Rowe (3G, 1A) have also helped provide offence. With just 5 goals against in 8 matches this season, the Sea-Hawks defence ranks 3rd among AUS teams and the tremendous defending from Jamie King, Christina Woloszcuk, Spencer Wilkins and Briana Pender has been evident every game. The Sea-Hawks have also been getting significant contributions from their last line of defence, goalkeeper Sydney Walsh boasts an AUS leading 0.905 save percentage with 3 clean sheets. One of the Sea-Hawks premier forwards Claire Langille offered some thoughts as the team heads out of the thanksgiving break: "I think everyone is excited to get back into action after two weeks off, and that will help us stay on track and keep the momentum going". Riding the momentum, the Sea-Hawks head into their road trip trying to stay the course and continue their success.
Playing host to the Sea-Hawks on Friday, October 22nd at 5:00 PM ADT will be the 8th ranked Panthers, who will look to get back into the win column. The Panthers attack is led by midfielder Lauren Clark (3G, 2A), the team leader in botb goals and points will be the likely focal point of the Panthers offence for Friday's match. Rachel Green (2G) and Tyffanie Bordage (1G, 2A) have been causing problems for opposing defences with regularity, Bordage's 13 shots rank second on the team. The Panthers have been going with a bit of a platoon in between the pipes as both Ali Muise and Veronica Kozak have seen their fair share of starts. Kozak's 1.18 goals against average ranks 6th among AUS goaltenders and the freshman is continuing to push for more starts.
The 2nd place Axewomen and 3rd place Sea-Hawks hit the pitch for a potential playoff preview on Sunday, October 24th at 12:00 PM ADT. The Axewomen, like their counterpart, rely on their defence to win them games, their 6 goals against rank 4th in the AUS and the defensive side of the ball should highlight Sunday's match. In terms of offence the Axewomen rely on a balanced offensive attack, they boast five players with 2+ goals, any one player can score at any time. Their two leading goal scorers are Grace Longley (3G, 1A) and Rosie Nichols (3G), and the Axewomen have also enjoyed outstanding production from defender Meghan Johnston (2G, 2A). Their balanced attack and great team defence will prove a tough matchup at the conclusion of the weekend.