WSOC | Voyageurs Rough Up Rams
The Laurentian Voyageurs women’s soccer team opened up the season in dominant fashion Friday afternoon as they topped the visiting Ryerson Rams 4-0.
The Voyageurs controlled play from the opening whistle, constantly putting the Rams’ back line under pressure. Their persistence paid off in the 21st minute as Carlee Parisotto laced a free kick off the far post that ran the length of the goal line before tucking in behind the near post. Just five minutes later, off another set piece, Megan Ferguson found the ball at her feet with her back to goal inside the 6-yard box. Rather than try a difficult shot, Ferguson laid the ball off to a streaking Michelle Walsh at the top of the 6-yard box and she made no mistake, pushing the Voyageurs lead to 2-0.
The second half started out as a much tamer affair with play dominating the center of the pitch. Voyageurs goalkeeper, Dina Mandolesi, was called on to make a few timely saves to quell any Rams buildup and her teammates rewarded her with some more insurance. Rookie, Mia De Gasperis, was able to deke out a couple of Rams defenders and found herself with space inside the 18-yard box before depositing the ball into the bottom corner of the net in the 84th minute. Fellow rookie, Lucia Valdez, rounded out the scoring in the 88th minute to make the final score 4-0 in favour of the Voyageurs.
The Voyageurs now head to Toronto to face the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday with a 12pm kickoff.
Laurentian University's Department of Athletics is home to 23 varsity sports teams. The Voyageurs decorated history of pride and tradition includes 62 provincial championships as well as 10 national championships in 54 years of competition.