UNB defeats Panthers with late goal

(FREDERICTON, NB)—The UNB REDS needed a win and they got one. 

Jillian Curtis (Corpus Christi, TX) scored late in added time to give the REDS a 2-1 win over the visiting UPEI Panthers, in a rare Wednesday evening Atlantic University Sport women's soccer game, at UNB's BMO Centre. 

Curtis took a crossing pass from Aurora Hughes-Goyette (Garibaldi Highlands, BC) and tapped it past Panthers keeper Claudia Mazzei (Milton, ON) just moments before the final whistle. 

"It feels awesome," said Hughes-Goyette, named Tim Horton's Player of the Game. "We pushed right to the end. We'd had a couple of rough patches, but we didn't let it get us down and in the end we got one." 

The game was originally scheduled for this past Sunday, but was postponed due to complications in the wake of Post Tropical Storm Lee. 

The home team opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Heidi Lauwerijssen (Kensington, PE) was first to a loose ball inside the Panthers 18-yard box. She fed the ball in front for Hughes-Goyette who easily tapped it past Mazzei. 

"To be honest, I kind of black out when that happens," said Hughes-Goyette. "My mindset was just get there. I was gassed, but I believed that Heidi could get that ball into the box, and I got my toe on there." 

The Panthers drew even early in the second half. 

In the 48th minute, after REDS keeper Lauren Kelly (Fredericton, NB) had made a pair of spectacular saves, Caitlyn McCloskey (North Wiltshire, PE) got a boot on a rebound. 

It looked as though the teams were headed for a draw until Curtis' late heroics. 

"It's a little more painful," said Panthers' head coach Lewis Page of the loss. "But I'm very happy with the way we played in the second half. That's the more important thing. There's lots of more points left to play for. That's the way the game goes sometimes." 

With the win, the REDS' first of the season, UNB, now 1-3-1, climbs to seventh in the AUS standings. The Panthers, now 2-2-1, sit fifth. 

Up next for the REDS, a Saturday afternoon home game against Moncton. Game time is 1:00pm. 

The Panthers host Memorial on Friday. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:00pm. 

UNB and UPEI will face each other in a re-match, Sunday afternoon, in Charlottetown. 

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell, UNB Athletics / PHOTOS BY: Fran Harris, for UNB Athletics