HAMILTON, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders women's soccer team started their 2022 playoff campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Brock Badgers on Wednesday night at Ron Joyce Stadium.

The Marauders had a perfect start to the game, scoring just 30 seconds into the contest to take a quick 1-0 lead. Ignacia Jimenez (Ancaster, Ont.) sent a perfect ball into the box from the corner flag to find Bryanna Caldwell (Tottenham, Ont.). McMaster's leading goal scorer made no mistake, beating the Brock netminder with a powerful header to record her fifth goal of the season. 

To the delight of a boisterous Marauder fan base, the home team found the back of the net for the second time in the 14th minute of play. On a goal that looked almost identical to the first, Caldwell again used her head to finish a corner set piece, spearheaded by Jimenez. 

Despite being down by two goals, the visiting Brock Badgers got on the board at the mid-point of the first half. The Badgers were awarded a penalty kick in the 26th minute and Emily Cirone stepped up, beating Ali Mudie (Burlington, Ont.) from the spot to make the score 2-1.

Tiam Pourbakhtiari (Richmond Hill, Ont.) added her name to the scoresheet before the halftime whistle. Pourbakhtiari used her head to restore the two goal margin with Jimenez picking up her third assist of the day. At the break, the hosts led by a 3-1 scoreline.

While both teams applied pressure in the second half, it was the visitors that scored late in the 88th minute to narrow the McMaster lead to one. The Marauders played strong defence in the closing minutes to hold on and earn the 3-2 victory. 

In an even contest on paper, McMaster and Brock each recorded 12 shots on target throughout the contest. Mudie played the full 90 minutes in goal and had 10 saves on the night for a 0.833 save percentage.

Next Up 

The Marauders will head to London on Saturday afternoon for an OUA West quarterfinal match-up with the top-seeded Western Mustangs. Game time is set for 1pm.