Reds Fall At X

Madison Goertz keeps a St FX player from the ball during Sunday's 1-0 loss. After opening the season on the road, the Reds return home to face Dal on Saturday and Sunday.
(Photo: Bryan Kennedy/for St FX Athletics)
Madison Goertz keeps a St FX player from the ball during Sunday's 1-0 loss. After opening the season on the road, the Reds return home to face Dal on Saturday and Sunday. (Photo: Bryan Kennedy/for St FX Athletics)

(ANTIGONISH, NS) The St FX X-Women defeated the UNB Reds 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

The loss was the second of the new Atlantic University Sport season for the Reds.

The match was a tight affair, with little to choose between the two teams.

Both were well organized, which made it difficult for either side to create scoring chances and to have any sustained period of pressure. As it was the second game in two days for both teams, the game was more of a defensive contest than Saturday's season-opening games.

St FX and UNB set up very well defensively, and the two back lines were well-disciplined, making any through balls to open areas hit in hope rather than expectation that the intended player would be on the receiving end of the pass.

Pressure by X led to a corner kick in the game's ninth minute.

Kelsey Ellis (Ottawa, ON) played a short pass to Mercy Myles (Accra, Ghana) before Ellis put a superb cross into the six-yard box and the soft touch of Larissa White (Westphal, NS) found the back of the Reds' net.

Reds's keeper, Brynn Nash (Saskatoon, SK) made a number of great saves throughout the match and organized her back four well.

X's attack was often kept in check by UNB's impressive central defence pairing of Lindsey Lohnes (Bridgewater, NS) and Shannon Armitage (Halifax, NS). Lohnes was named the UNB player of the game.

Myles earned Subway Player of the Game honours.

Next up on the AUS schedule for the Reds, their home openers.

UNB hosts the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday and Sunday, in a pair of 1:00pm starts.

The X-Women are back in action Friday night, when they host the Cape Breton Capers.

RECAP: Bart Sears/for St FX Athletics

PHOTOS: Bryan Kennedy/for St FX Athletics