Saint Mary's Universty Huskies (W) v. Dalhousie Tigers (W)--As It Happened--AUS

It's time to put the Live back in Dal Soccer. That's right, our technology has come through and we are live as can be. At least until the technical problems set in.

You're teams:

SMU: Wilson, Langley, Diab, Clarke, Holland, Fox, Rostaert, Pentz, Benedict, Burgess, Currie.

Dal: Armstrong, Huck, Henry, Hardy, MacLean, Landry, Santilli, Morrison, Nugget, Richrd, Donald.

1min: SMU kick off and work a long throw which Dal scramble clear.

3min: Make sure you press refresh for updates and don't forget to send us emails at matthias@student.ednet.ns.ca.

5min: Dal are making lots of pretty passes right now. No real chances so far.

9min: One of the side effects of my doing this live is that I can't verify stuff as well. As such, I'll take this opportunity to meniont hat it is in fact HEather Armstrong in Dal's goal and not Taryn McKenna.

11min: Corner to Dal, which SMU clear. I should mention now (since I didn't have much time before the game--it took awhile to set this up) that Dal are a bit better than SMU. They look it, too.

14min: Dal win a couple of corners off a Stephanie Holland clearance, from which they get very little.

15min: Landry gets some space on the right but is run down by Fox. Landry fouls Fox and SMU bang it away.

17min: Apologies, but the email is not gonna happen until at least half-tme, when I get fifteen minutes to figure out the problems which have been plaguing this machine. It's really a stroke of luck that we're getting this out there at all.

20min: I was going to get on the AUS site and dig up lots of interesting and diversionary (yet ultimately meaningless stats), but that'll have to wait because loading more than one page is a challeneg at the moment.

22min: A pass from Huck unlocks the defense for former Husky Ashley Donald, buther touch is rather poor and indecisive, resulting in an eventual offside.

25min: A long blast of a cross from Huck beats Wilson but hits the gridiron goalposts and is ruled a goal kick. Good build-up from the Tigers, though, Richard and Landry interchanging very well. Richard has moved out wide and Landry into the middle.

27min: Dal foul and Landry comes off for the mysterious Beth O'Reilly. She can be quite the scheming player, often waiting a very long time to make her move--highly stealthy. I'll just drop this analogy now, alright?

29min: Santilli picks out a great diagonal alley for Ashley Donald to run into and hits her apass. Donald, howerer, refuses to run into it, and is cauht quickly by Holland.

30min: Dal are completely in charge at the moment. When Dal played SMU at Wickwire earlier in the season I meant to ask Mark Sweetapple what was wrong with his team. I thought it a bit of a harsh question, and he managed to get away too quick for me to catch. So I decided to wait until today and see if he'd made any improvements. He hasn't.

33min: A collision between Santilli and Diab springs another Tigers attack. O'Reilly heads Richard's cross into Wilson's arms, though.

35min: Traemark Jack Hutchison formational switch coming up. Richard's back up top, O'Reilly moves ot central midfield,, and Santilli out wide. That might actually work--O'Reilly's not really a great striker and Richard was lively up top earlier with her speed.

37min: Rostaert goes on a long exploratory run down the left and cuts inside Huck. It looks a promising chance before Rostaert collapses with an injury. She's not getting treated. Tricky injury for SMU--Rostaert's a fifth year and one of their main (read: only) offensive threats.

40min: Caldwell has now replaced Rostaert, who's still sitting injured behind the Dal goal.

41min: Richard is dropped out wide after a SMU foray. MacLean hammers a cross in, and Richard can't get to it, but manages to win a corner.

45min: Dal's formation keeps shifting, and you have to wonder if they're worse off for it. Burgess chases down a long ball which Armstrong fumbles and both payers go flying, but Dal are first to it and clear.

45+min: A Dal corner reuslts in chaos--with Donald heading off of Benedict's arm and falling for Huck, who loops it just over Wilson's goal. Half-time.

Half-time: Dal need to score for all the pressure they've had. Unfortunately, goals through the football posts don't count. I can't help but wonder if they stuck with a solid formation--and began to learn where everyone would be as a result--whether they might get more goals. There's always too much looking about going on. It leads to hesitation making a pass, and that little extra bit of speed needed to break SMU down is missing.

For SMU's part, they are clearly outmatched. There's no rule saying they have to play positive soccer, though. They have to be strategic. If they've lost Rostaert (and it looks like they have) then they'll need to pounce on any mistake out there.

46min: Dal kick-off on the attack. No changes.

47min: O'Reilly appears from nowhere and cuts past Currie before smashing a 25 yard effort into Wilson's arms.

49min: Donald manages to hold off Langley on the wing, but she puts a rather horrific lows pass in for O'Reilly.

52min: Now it's Morrison's turn to try a fanciful 25 yarder. Wilson saves. SMU break the other wya on the right and Burgess dings a cross in which hangs up beautifuly so that Pentz can missher header. Santilli off for Landry.

53min: Foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, niggly foul, foul, niggly foul.

56min: Landry is pulled down at full flight. No cardis shown, which is a minor scandal. Burgess, I think, was the culprit.

58min: Dal win a corner, which Nugget plays short and which Landry bobbles. MacLean recovers by testing Wilson from 35 yards.

62min: SMU changewith Clarke out for Kathleen Burke. A SMU corner is caught by Armstrong and punted away. Donald, who's had a rather ineffective afternoon, is swapped for Johnstone.

66min: Dal commit a foul 40 yards out and wide left. It's swung in and Morrison heads out of play.SMU nearly get a chance of the throw, but Burgess can't get much on her shot.

68min: Freekick wide right for Dal. Huck fakes it and O'Reilly gets very confused as to what to do with it. She passes back to Huck, who flings the cross out of play.

71min: Richard gets in behind the back line, looking for mor elater heroics. She fires wide as she's budled over. There were some appeals for a penalty there, but nothing was eve coming from that.

75min: If I may go out on a limb, I'd suggest that Dal lack a creative midfielder, preferably one with pace. SMU have played this to perfection, sitting deep and marking well. Dal haven't been able to create their own chances.

77min: Caldwell makes some noise fown the left. Another long throw coming from Currie, which Dal clear.

78min: SMU withdraw Burke for Clarke and O'Reilly is extracted (sorry), for Santilli.

81min: Now SMU are trying to come forward and they force Armstrong into a miscommunication with Hardy, which is cleared.

82min: An outswinging SMU corneris cleared.

84min: Huck gets a free kick 40 yardsoutand squares it for Nugget, who goes for goal. It's only narrowly over, and Wilson was beaten.

86min: One wonders whether Richard will be moved centrally for the last five minutes--both of Dal's previous games have been won by Ricahrd's late heroics.

89min: Santilli handles the ball and SMU pound a free kick in which is cleared. Katie Richard has moved up to striker.

90+min: Clarke collides with Armstrong, who drops the ball but manages to recover. Dal counter but can't get much.

90+min: The ref blows as Dal bounce a ball off of the football posts again. Disappointing for the Tigers to come away with a draw. But credit to SMU, who have managed to deal with their lack of scoring by not conceding a goal. I've got to set up the men's game, and do some interviews. See you.