Serapiglia's late tally helps No. 8 Women's Soccer draw No. 14 Redeemer

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

VAUGHAN – No. 8 Humber women's soccer battled to a 1-1 draw Wednesday evening at the Ontario Soccer Centre against No. 13 Redeemer Royals (2-0-2, 1st West). Cara Serapiglia paced the way for the Hawks, scoring two tallies.

Match Recap

Humber women's soccer did not waste any time to get their first shot on target and warn Redeemer's goalkeeper what the Hawks came for. Right before the first 10 minutes, a corner for the Hawks almost ended up with Kaitlynn Russel scoring an Olimpico, but the ball went off the left post.

At 17 minutes, the Hawks came out of the gate. Cara Serapiglia stunned the Royals' defender with a nice move to come inside and unloaded a powerful curve shot to find the back of the net, scoring her seventh career tally as a Hawk.

Unfortunately, Humber could not hold the advantage for long. Three minutes later, a similar play by Redeemer's Ellie de Jong, also coming inside right next to the penalty arc, drove a beautiful curve shot into the top-right corner of the net. Isabella Bernardi dived into her left but could not stop de Jong's second tally in the 2023 season.

The Royals had the chance to make a comeback and put the Hawks in a challenging spot. Emily Walraven hit a long shot right next to the 18-yard box, but Isabella Bernardi showed why she was chosen the 2022 Humber Athletics Rookie of the Year. The keeper dived to her right to make a sprawling save and stopped Redeemer's second goal.

The referee blew the whistle to call the break with no added time. With great offensive demonstrations from both sides, the Hawks finished the first half strong and looking to overcome the Royals in a hectic match.

The start of the second half was clearly not what coach Jose Caro planned for the Hawks. Redeemer ensured the first minute did not elapse on the clock, and number 21 Mia Palango unloaded a rocket out of Bernardi's reach, putting the Royals in the lead.

Though the one-goal advantage, the Royals did not back off and kept pressuring the Hawks. Humber could not control the ball and struggled to build opportunities to tie the match. The Redeemer's defence was flawless, shutting down most of Humber's attacks.

The Hawks were pushing hard in the left wing, with Kaitlynn Russel trying to find an individual play to put Humber back in the game, but Redeemer's defence was solid and compact, with Adriana Kanisek and Mia Palango finding critical tackles to stop the Hawks.

Humber found its game past the 70 minutes. The Hawks got the ball possession back and started pressuring the Royals. Catarina Medeiros hit a dangerous shot from 30 yards that went a foot high off the post.

Though Redeemer's defence was compact, the Hawks did not give up and battled until the last second. After coach Caro came with another attacker in to increase Humber's offensive presence, Cara Serapiglia scored her second tally to tie the match at 90 minutes.

Right after the goal, the Royals conceded a penalty, and the Hawks had the perfect opportunity to wrap up the match with an incredible comeback. However, Chantel Spalla missed the chance, ending matchday with the Hawks picking up one point against the Redeemer Royals, 2-2.

Humber Highlights

• Cara Sarapiglia moves into a tie for first with three goals this season.
• Humber improves to 26-1-6 all-time against Redeemer.
• The Hawks extend their unbeaten streak to 14 consecutive regular season matches.

What's Next?

The Hawks (2-0-2, 1st West) will head to Oakville to battle against the Sheridan Bruins (1-2-0, 6th West) on Sunday, Sept. 24. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.