As It Happened: Mount Saint Vincent Mystics (W) v. University of Kings' College Blue Devils (W)---ACAA

As if they needed more scoring, the Mount have added further rookie strikers, who, if the scorelines last week are anything to go by, know how to get the ball in the net. They have a very young back line, though, which won't be much comfort to Kings' if they play like they did on Sunday, that is, badly. Holland College didn't need a back line on Sunday.

I don't need much build-up--it's the Mount against Kings'. Expect at least a few "mistimed" challenges and a few goal, especially from MSVU's Sarah Parker, who nobody can figure out how to stop. Parker has also taken on captaincy duties tonight, a duty which she takes over from, I believe, Deirdre Gormley, who has departed.

And Gormley's an interesting case, too. She wasn't very fast and she didn't look like a soccer player--until she made a pass. The best vision in the ACAA hands-down, a good shot, great touch, and an excellent passer. She'll be missed for MSV, that's for sure.

Teams: UKC: Bishop, Spessot, Kraus, Skinner, McKenzie, Trueland, Cousens, Yang, Crothers, Flatley, Smith.

MSVU: Church (and not MacDermid, which is either very bold or Church is a better keeper, which is hard to believe given how good MacDermid is), LeBlanc, O'Neil, Pettipas, Melanson, Dockrill, Edwards, Westerhaver, Parker.

1min: MSVU kick-off. Kings' immediately concede a chance on goal.

3min: Now Kings' with a chance of their own. Church claims it well. Maybe she is better than MacDermid.

5min: Smith with a volley. Church misjudges it and fumbles it out for a corner. Maybe not.

7min: LeBlanc dribbles adventurously past her own goalkeeper and out of play for another Kings' corner.

9min: Skinner passes to Parker in her box. Kraus bails her out. That all started because Trueland lost Edwards on the wing. Trueland's not the fastest and she'll have difficulty out wide today. MSVU are quick all over.

11min: A very nice long pass from Smith allows Flatley to speed past Pettipas like Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." She wins a corner, from which Kings' go offside on the initial delivery--somehow.

13min: McKenzie makes a great challenge and Yang sends a pass in diagonally for Flatley. Flatley wins yet another corner from which Kings' get very little.

16min: GOAL! Flatley takes the goal off another beautiful through pass from Smith. Clinical finish, too, low into the far corner where Church had little chance of getting down to it.

18min: Skinner and Spessot combine for some queasy defending at the back. Giving the ball away all a little too easily here.

20min: GOAL! And with the kind of skill that befits the Mount, Edwards equalises for the Mount. She finds a pass from Parker at the top of the box and loops a scintillating curler into the top corner. that looked like a free kick on a first touch shot. She even dummied slightly before shooting an unstoppable shot. Man, even when they look bad the Mount look good.

24min: GOAL! Oh dear! Kraus looks to have made a great defensive play by holding the ball in when it might have gone out for a corner. But she's a bit hesitant on the ball and Dockrill slide passes and Chrissy Henneberry puts home from 20 yards. Bishop kinda.... Well, "missed" is the gentlest word. She should've had that.

26min: So, Kings' are 2-1 down after a very promising start. Bishop's last major flub was int he playoffs last year. She's often very solid, but her bad games tend to show up especially brightly.

28min: Corner to MSVU. Bishop comes, misses, and Melanson gets the ball at neck height for a tap in. It's too tricky for her to handle and Kings' clear, and Bishop gets away with a miss, there, too.

29min: Kings' counter nicely through Smith, but Flatley puts her cross behind. There wasn't anyone in front anyway

32min: Flatley gets a fortuitous pass from Smith and rolls to Church. Kings' look a bit like a team with an identity problem. They are at their best on the counter, but when under any sort of duress, they tend to resort to long ball. Trueland comes off for Miesner, which is a bit of a pace upgrade on the right.

36min: Miesner gets into a conversation with a toddler on the touchline as she goes to take throw--discussing tactics, I presume. MSVU withdraw Melanson, who looked great going forward and rather suspect coming backward, for Jessica Lilly.

37min: Lilly, initially confused as to which team she plays for, sets up Allison Smith for a shot, which she sends wide.

38min: Spessot with a silly mistake as she lets the ball bounce over her and straight to Sarah Parker. Parker can't elude Kraus and Spessot recovers well. She concedes a free kick in doing so, and Dockrill hammers it just wide.

43min: A bit of a lull, but it's broken by a fantastic cross from Westerhaver. Parker misses, but Dockrill gets space and has a go. It deflects to Bishop and the Kings' keeper deals with it fairly easily.

Half-time: Kings' have recovered quite nicely from the 2-goal shock. And they look fairly tight, especially up front. It's worth remembering MSVU have been playing with the wind, which gave Bishop some trouble and accelerates their shots. Kings' will have that advantage in the second half.

45min: Subs are up, with Courtney McMaster replacing Westerhaver for MSVU. No changs for Kings'.

47min: Kings' continue their habit of yielding possession very easily. Parker takes advantage and gets in alone, but Bishop charges out and Parker panics a bit by shooting wide.

49min: A clash out on the wing sees Kings' win a free kick. The delivery is not one of Spessot's best and it goes out for a goal kick.

51min: Kings' work some possession, from which Smith tries a last hope shot. It doesn't work out.

53min: MSVU work a forward move with great flair and beauty, until McMaster bottles it by trying a one-touch cross, tripping over her own feet, and falling flat on her face.

55min: Yang's been swearing a lot tonight, which isn't a great sign. Generally, whenever the ball comes near her and she flubs a touch. She still looks a bit tentative out there.

59min: GOAL! Smith gets a lucky bounce after a tremendous run from Flatley along the by-line. Smith's poise would have looked better with a clinical sort of finish, but as it stands it's deflected awkwardly off of O'Neil in front of Church and it loops in.

61min: Now Smith puts in a great run of her won, winning a corner. Smith wins another corner.

62min: From which Dockrill clears off the line! Smith deflects the cross onto goal and Dockrill heads clear. McKenzie follows up with a dangerous strike, it's over the goal.

65min: Kings' are holding Parker pretty well, a job which has been done mostly by Kraus.

68min: Yang with a good touch around Dockrill, but she follows it up with a poor pass. The game as nodded off right now.

72min: Kings' are winning the midfield. MSVU are really missing Gormley.

76min: Flatley is levelled by LeBlanc, but it's a fair tackle and the ref lets play continue.

78min: Lilly whiffs on a goal kick. Smith intercepts and has her shot blocked. Crothers now gets it and elects to shoot from the kind of distance from which very few goals are scored. Smith gets one last chance, but her shot is blown wide by the wind.

79min: Both sets of strikers are having difficulty getting the ball, despite Flatley's "Top Gun" pace and the continual whiffed goal kicks from Mount players.

80min: McMaster, whose main accomplishment tonight has been a display of one-touch crossing comedy (53min), now runs into Dockrill and loses possession. This game may be pretty much locked down, but at least we've got some entertainment.

84min: Flatley in alone! She gets by Lilly with Millennium Falcon type speed (sorry), but Church looms large and saves it.

86min: Yang, who's shown signs of cramp all night, finally goes down with some obvious cramp. Dowler's ready to come on, but Yang elects to keep on playing. She doesn't do a lot of flat-out running, anyway.

89min: Looking like a draw here--except Flatley puts on a turn of pace more reminiscent of...something really fast that I can't think of right now...and gets in again. Her shot is good, but Church preserves a point.

Full-time: That's it, and a much better show than Sunday for Kings'.