OAKVILLE, Ont. - In their final home game of the season, the Sheridan Bruins women's soccer team (4-4 OCAA) couldn't hang on to a 2-0 lead, and dropped a 4-3 decision to Conestoga.
"The game went in ebbs and flows. It seemed that we had the majority of the game in the first half, but we were chasing the game in the second half," head coach Paul Angelini said. "Once they scored that second goal, they got the grit in their teeth and they just wanted it more than we did."
Laura Ozoria opened the scoring for the Bruins nearing the half hour mark, preventing a Conestoga clearing attempt from leaving the area, and blasting home a left-footed shot.
Less than 10 minutes later, Cassidy Chantler would double the advantage, beating the Conestoga keeper in a race to a ball at the top of the box, then tapping it into the open net.
Conestoga would pull one back in the 40th minute, taking momentum into the locker room at the break, ultimately resulting in the equalizer nearing the hour.
The Double-Blue took a 3-2 lead in the 75th minute when Mikayla Parker's cross couldn't be handled by the Conestoga keeper in the wet conditions, and it trickled into the net.
It would not provided an unlikely winner however, when Conestoga struck back with goals in the 83rd and 89th minutes to escape with all three points.
Despite the loss, the Double-Blue secured a playoff after George Brown suffered a defeat to division-leading Humber.
It was still a setback in terms of playoff positioning, however, as a victory would have locked them into a third place finish.
They can still reach that - by virtue of holding the tie-breaker with Conestoga, who also sit on 12 points - but in order to maintain control without needing help, they must pick up a victory in one of their two final games.
As a result, Angelini is making sure his players understand the magnitude of the contest when they travel to George Brown Friday.
"We'll look to start strong, put our best lineup on the field, and we take it from there," he said. "It's a must-win game, it's a playoff game for all intents and purposes, and that's how we're going to approach it."
