Needing points desperately and with a dangerous opponent across from them, the Marauders did the sensible thing on Saturday: they put up the barricades.

The Marauders were largely content to defend and stymie the Laurier Golden Hawks, and came away with a point from a 0-0 draw at Ron Joyce Stadium.

Brittany Duffey commanded her area well on Saturday, and fully deserved the clean sheet.

Coach Brett Mosen held his midfield well back for much of the match, and sent a single forward to occasionally harrass Laurier's back line. It was a strategy that increasingly frustrated the Golden Hawks, as they probed for an opening that never came.

The strategy nearly sprung a surprise on the offensive end, when forward Emma Mangialardi was sent one-on-one with a Laurier defender by a well-weighed through ball late in the second half. She was unable to shake her defender, however, and the visitors were spared on the counter.

Instead, McMaster remained disciplined on the defensive end, and came away with a point to be proud of against a Laurier team that had only dropped points on two previous occasions this season, and had badly beaten the Marauders in September.

Having maintained their hold on the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA West for another day, the Marauders will look to build on their defensive stand when they welcome the York Lions to Ron Joyce Stadium tomorrow. That match will kick off at 1:00 p.m.