RECAP : Season opens with draw against Lakers

The Gee-Gees women's soccer team opened its 2018 regular season on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay.

Delaney Rickert-Hall scored the equalizer for Ottawa in the 59th minute, in tight after Emma Lefevbre worked the ball over from the middle of the box. The Gee-Gees had eight shots on target during the match but a plethora of other scoring opportunities which were blocked or off target. Ottawa keeper Margot Shore was called upon for two saves in the match.

"There are a lot of positives in that match," says Gee-Gees head coach Steve Johnson. "We played calm, we connected our passes, and had good availability for team mates. We generated a lot of opportunities in the box."

Nipissing's Andrea Young got the Lakers on the board in the 36th minute, collecting a deep cross and firing it back with an arcing shot into the far corner of the net. Nipissing stayed organized on the back line for the first half, forcing Ottawa into several offsides and keeping the visitors off the board.

The second half saw the Gee-Gees come out with more urgency and pace, which eventually resulted in the goal. "We were able to break down their offside trap and got runs through. Our back line played well with the ball and on defence," noted Johnson.

NEXT UP: The Garnet and Grey will travel to Sudbury for a Sunday game against the Laurentian Voyageurs. Laurentian opened the season with a 2-2 draw against Carleton. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.