Solid Thanksgiving weekend for Lady Vees soccer squad

In a season of strong performances, the Laurentian Voyageurs women's soccer team produced another very solid weekend of work for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Facing the winless Trent Excalibur on Saturday, the Voyageurs jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the half, allowing coach Rob Gallo to substitute freely over the final 45 minutes, with the score remaining unchanged.

Megan Ferguson broke the ice less than two minutes in, followed by tallies from Amanda Kwan and Sarah Sanford, with Dina Mandolesi registering the shutout.

Sunday, however, would be a test. The Laurentian side were fully aware, with the UOIT Ridgebacks riding a six game unbeaten streak - five wins and a tie - heading to Sudbury.

Another early goal, this time from local rookie Brianne Rodrigue in the eighth minute, produced the only scoring of the game, as the Voyageurs took both ends of the home and home with UOIT, posting a 1-0 shutout on the Laurentian field.

Making a return to action for the first time since early September, veteran keeper Richele Greenwood came through with a few key saves, helping to hold things tight on those rare occasions that UOIT pressed efficiently.

Boating a record of 7-3-2, Gallo and company are nothing short of ecstatic with the step forward the program has taken in 2015.

"The difference for us this year is the midfield," said Gallo. "This midfield is an engine, and it's a really good engine."

Built around a returning core of talent that features the likes of Carlee Parisotto, Amanda Kwan and Megan Ferguson on the wing, the group has successfully integrated freshman midfielders Catherine Rocca and Rodrigue, who can also swing to the outside, joining Samantha Selkirk for added depth.

And with Sanford at the top, as striker, these Voyageurs are not all about defense, as has been the case more often than not in the past.

"Sanford has just blossomed from last year, she's a threat all the time," said Gallo of his second-year attacker, who has now tied the club record for goals in a season with eight (currently shared with Lisa Watson, with four games to play).

"She keeps the other team honest," Gallo said. "They have to drop people back to defend her, or we'll punish you. We've never had all those pieces of the puzzle. And having Greenwood back stabilizes things a lot."

The pleasant surprises are too numerous to mention, but one can count Rocca, an impressive first year talent out of Woodbridge, in that mix.

"For me, it was a matter of working on my distribution, getting the ball to the forwards, so that we can score more goals and be more of an attacking team," said the 5-10 18-year-old rookie.

"It really is a matter of getting the ball through the midfield, playing fast, and sending those through balls. Last year, there were a lot of close scores, but they were always defending. This year, we're actually a threat."

That said, when a team blessed with the firepower of UOIT begins to overload offensively, playing good defense becomes critical, as was evidenced for a particularly nerve-wrecking 20-minute stretch early in the second half.

"We really had to make sure that we stayed with our marks," said Rocca. "They were throwing a lot of players up. We had to keep calm as a team."

And while Gallo wasn't about to suggest it was perfection, he was more pleased than upset with the effort in holding the Ridgebacks at bay.

"When you do win possession of the ball on the back line, the distribution has to be right on," said Gallo. "The passing has to be on the ground, and we have to play to feet. If you're going to win the ball and play it right back to them, they're just going to shove it back down at you."

As good as the season has been to date, the Voyageurs have not yet even secured a playoff position, with six teams separated by just five points directly behind the front-running Ottawa Gee Gees (9-0-3).

Laurentian now has to close on the road, with four games remaining, starting with a pair of tough matchups next weekend against the University of Toronto Blues (6-5-1) and the Ryerson Rams (3-7-2).

The team then heads to Kingston to close out the schedule, facing the RMC Paladins (1-10-0) and the Queen's Gaels (5-2-5). A top four finish in their division would ensure the L.U. ladies of not having to then head right back out on the road for a first round playoff matchup, with a second place finish securing a first round bye.

One can only hope that there are still a few more impressive performances in the tank for the 2015 Laurentian women's soccer team.