OAKVILLE, ON – The Redeemer Royals women's soccer team went on the road to take on the Sheridan Bruins on Saturday night, with a home playoff game in their sights if they could pull off the win.
The first half was mainly the two teams figuring out each other. Both teams had their chances, but both goalkeepers were better.
The Royals would outshoot the Bruins 6-5, but the important score remained 0-0.
The second half was... eventful, to say the least.
The Royals would start out with the pressure, but it would be the Bruins capitalizing first off an executed corner kick in the 57th minute.
The Royals would continue pressing, but 12 minutes later the Bruins would double the lead, putting Redeemer in a 2-0 with just over 20 minutes to come up with some sort of response.
And respond; they did.
Just one minute after Sheridan extended the lead, Charis Johnson would cut it back to one, burying in the 70th minute to make it 2-1. Tautiana Pellegrino drew the assist.
Johnson was not done quite yet. In the 76th minute, she'd knot the game up at two apiece. Angelica Coretti drew the assist, and suddenly a 2-0 deficit turned into a 2-2 tie in merely six minutes.
But the Royals needed the win. The two teams became gridlocked, no team getting any chances. Someone needed to break the tie for Redeemer, but they were running out of time.
Then, in the 90th minute, Tautiana Pellegrino would answer the call, burying a goal in stoppage time to complete the comeback for the Royals! Alexis Van Aken would draw the assist.
That's how the game would end, 3-2 for the Royals.
And with Fanshawe losing to St. Clair on Sunday, the Royals clinch a home playoff game. They'll host the Lakehead University Thunderwolves on Wednesday, October 21st. Kickoff at 7:00pm.
