The No. 9 University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with the Laurentian Lady Vees on Friday, October 16 at Varsity Centre.

Both sides seemed tentative early on in the first half with neither team forming an offensive threat and most of the play occurring throughout the midfield. Finally, after some prolonged pressure by the Blues’ forwards, a miscommunication between the Laurentian defence and goalkeeper Victoria Kulczycki (London, Ont.) nearly led to an own goal.

The Lady Vees bounced back as Stephanie Mackay (London, Ont.) tipped the ball past Toronto keeper Mary Anne Barnes (Scarborough, Ont.) into a dangerous spot in front of the net. However, Richmond Hill native Nicole Zikovitz cleared the ball from harm’s way.

After some strong individual work by Melanie Seabra, Blues scoring leader Erica Basso lobbed a shot over the goalkeeper toward the net only to have it cleared by a Lady Vees defender.

Toronto maintained the pressure, earning a free kick in the 38th minute. Seabra (Brampton, Ont.) stepped up and launched a rocket of a shot just under the cross bar, putting Toronto up 1-0.

A Blues defensive breakdown late in the first half left Laurentian forward Leanne Adams with a clear shot on goal. The Mississauga native made no mistake, curling the ball inside the right post to tie the game at 1-1 going into half time.

The second half began and continued with strong pressure from the Blues’ forwards. Juliana Bergin slipped a low shot past Kulczycki in the 57th minute that hit the right post and was quickly cleared. The Baxter Ont. native nearly found the goal again as she flew past the Lady Vees defender, forcing Kulczycki to make a diving stop to keep the game tied.

Although the Varsity Blues held most of the play and kept the ball in the Lady Vees’ half, the Laurentian defence bent but did not break. They nearly took the lead in the 85th minute when Jenna Roach (Sudbury, Ont.) sent a cross in from the left side of the penalty box that slipped just past the right goal.

The game opened up in the final minutes of the contest, as the Blues pushed hard for the go-ahead goal. However, the Lady Vees defence held strong in and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Varsity Blues now maintain a 9-2-2 record and move into a second place tie in the OUA East with 31 points.

You can catch the next Varsity Blues home game on Saturday, October 17, when Toronto hosts the Nipissing Lakers at Varsity Centre. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.