The St. Thomas University Tommies were blanked 4-0 by the Algonquin Thunder in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women's soccer bronze qualifier Thursday morning in Halifax.
Although not indicated on the scoreboard, the Tommies showed increased confidence compared to their opening match at the national tournament—something head coach Michelle DeCourcey was happy to see.
"I think they felt more confident having one game under their belt and realizing they could play with the other team," she said. "I think just the experience and feeling more settled in here made a big difference."
The Thunder opened the scoring in the 27 minute off a goal from Melissa Gilligan. Despite a number of other promising chances, the Tommies held off the Algonquin team and headed to the locker room with a 1-0 deficit.
Darby Perry increased the Thunder's lead early in the second half, chipping the ball just over Tommies' keeper Mary Cronin.
The Tommies worked to move the ball into the Thunder's zone and had a few promising opportunities, but weren't able to capitalize.
"The game plan was to just play five minutes at a time," DeCourcey said, "and I think the girls did really well. They played together as a defensive unit, they shifted well together, they fought for each other, and I thought they played tough for a full 90 minutes."
The Thunder added two more markers before the final buzzer—the first off a scramble in front of the Tommies' net, and the second from Perry, who potted her second of the game with just over 10 minutes to go.
Phoebe van der Muelen was named the Tommies' Player of the Game, while Shalene Denovan earned the honour for the Thunder.
The Tommies will face conference rival Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Rams in the placement game Saturday morning at 10:00 am.
Although the STU squad won't be bringing home any hardware, DeCourcey believes this experience is a positive step in the continued development of the program.
"I think this shows they can play with the best in the country, and when they play together and play consistently for 90 minutes they have a chance to beat anyone we come up against."