The McMaster Marauders women's soccer team suffered a loss to the Nipissing Lakers 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at Ron Joyce Stadium.
 
In a rough battle between the top two teams in the OUA Central Division, the Marauders held their own, letting up just one goal in each half.
 
Marauder goalkeeper Jayashree Pathak was a wall for McMaster making ten saves throughout the game for a .833 save percentage.
 
The Marauders had two breakaways from Joelle Chackal and Georgia Merriman in the first half but Nipissing goaltender Mykaela Volpe was able to shut both scoring chances down.
 
McMaster wouldn't stop there – Chackal had another opportunity in the second half, but the Marauders ultimately left the game scoreless.
 
Nipissing's top goal-scorer Ashley Mlinaric opened up the scoring for the Lakers at the end of the first half, but a determined Marauders squad kept the Lakers at bay until the 90^th minute.
 
With the game going into extra time, Victoria Smith manouevered past McMaster's defence, and slid a security goal past Pathak for her first point of the season.

This was the first loss at home for the Marauders and only their second of the season after falling to the Lakers on the road on Friday.
 
The Marauders are now 5-2-1 on the season and still currently sit in second place in their division, behind Nipissing.
 
McMaster is currently one point ahead of the third-place Toronto Varsity Blues who will take on the Nipissing Lakers for their final two games of the regular season.
 
In a close race to the playoffs, the Marauders could use another win as they take on the fourth-place Rams back-to-back next weekend. Their first game is scheduled for this Thursday on the road, kick-off is 5pm.