Panthers grind out point in hard-fought draw with Moncton

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers battled to a hard-fought nil-nil draw against the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues Friday evening, earning a valuable point in what turned out to be a tactical chess match with few scoring chances.

Over 90 minutes, neither side managed to break the deadlock, with only three shots on goal combined. The Panthers showed encouraging progress in their possession-based play, but head coach Jed Davies admitted that turning that control into real danger in front of goal remains a work in progress.

"I think a lot of what we've been working on—playing through the midfield, keeping possession—came through today," Davies said. "There's some changes in terms of how we used to play. Now we want the ball, and sometimes the hardest thing to do is to score against a team that doesn't pressure."

Moncton lined up in a defensive back five, making it difficult for UPEI to generate quality chances in the final third. While the Panthers moved the ball well through midfield, they often found themselves frustrated in attack.

"We did well to find the sides of the midfield, we just couldn't create anything from it," Davies said. "It takes time to develop and create scoring chances. If you asked the players, they'd probably admit we didn't create enough today to say we deserved to win."

There were still glimpses of promise. A first-half cross from Mia Martell nearly led to a breakthrough, and Davies said he hopes to see more of those moments in upcoming matches. He was especially encouraged by the performances of his midfielders and rookies.

"Lydia Hamill was controlling the game, and Juliet was roaming everywhere making an impact," he said. "I thought Sophie Gallant, Lilly (MacVicar), and Dounia (El Abdi) were excellent in their debuts. We had a lot of new players on the field, and they all did really well."

The draw sets up an intriguing clash Sunday morning against Cape Breton, one Davies expects to look very different in style.

"Sunday, I imagine, will be a very different game. It's going to be a game where we'll be tested defensively, but with that comes opportunity," he said.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek