Despite conceding a goal in the opening 15 minutes, the Marauder women's soccer team regrouped to edge the Guelph Gryphons 2-1 at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday.

Jacqueline Goulart was the goalscorer for the Gryphons, while Noor Sakran and Ann Yeboah answered for McMaster. With the victory, the Marauders evened their conference record at 1-1.

Guelph got off to a blazing fast start when Goulart struck to open the scoring within the first 15 minutes of the match. But that advantage disappeared quickly, as the Gryphons were called for handling the ball in the box in the 21st minute. The third-year midfielder Sakran stepped up and made no mistake in side-footing the ball past the keeper to level the match.

The remainder of the opening half was fairly quiet, with neither team able to convincingly threaten on the attack, and rather settling into a battle in midfield. It was little surprise when the whistle blew to carry the teams into the interval deadlocked at a goal apiece.

It was the visitors who were quickest out of the gate in the second half, and Guelph nearly retook the lead in the 49th minute, when a low drive thundered off of McMaster's near post and clear of danger. Instead, Yeboah struck against the run of play just seven minutes later, bundling a lofted corner past the keeper at point-blank range.

The woodwork denied the Gryphons once again in the 76th minute, when their free kick hit the crossbar and the second effort on the rebound was hammered well wide of the net. One final opportunity saw Marauder keeper Brittany Duffey turn aside a well-taken shot at the near post, preserving the McMaster lead in the 87th minute.

That was the last chance Guelph would have to overturn its deficit, and McMaster escaped with the full three points on Saturday.

There's little time to admire the result, however, as the Marauders return to the Ron Joyce Stadium pitch on Sunday to battle the Windsor Lancers. That game is slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m.