Shorthanded Panthers steal crucial point in 1-1 draw with Saint Mary’s

By Thomas Becker

Despite playing shorthanded for most of the game, the UPEI Panthers secured a significant point in a 1-1 draw with the Saint Mary's Huskies. 

Minutes after conceding a goal, things looked to go from bad to worse for the Panthers (2-1-1) when rookie striker Ehab Moustafa was ejected from the game for an aggressive sliding tackle that put his team in a difficult situation. However, despite the disadvantage, UPEI countered with a goal of their own before halftime and made sure they wouldn't finish the game empty-handed. 

Rookie defender Max VanWiechen said the team needed to dig deep and play smart to come away with the crucial point.

"When you're down a man, you have to work even harder and keep it tight all the time." 

The Panthers' tight defence was on full display again Saturday afternoon as they consistently blocked shots and headed the ball to safety on set pieces. The lone goal they gave up was more a gaffe on the goalkeeper's part than anything. 

Three minutes after the Panthers failed to capitalize on a three-on-one opportunity, Saint Mary's (2-2-1) Neal Spires fired a deep shot that caught Evan Couturier off guard as he watched the ball sail by him in the 36th minute. 

Following Moustafa's ejection, UPEI head coach Lewis Page replaced the injured Katabana Nestor with Samuel Akinsola looking for an offensive burst before the break. And it worked, as the rookie forward gathered a pass from Nathan Chow, took a touch and curled a shot past the diving keeper to even the score. 

"When Sam scored, that gave us a lift and we knew we were still in this thing," VanWiechen said.

Knowing the magnitude of a point in a tight playoff race, Page was glad to see the ball make its way in the back of the net. 

"Great goal," he said. "That's what Sam can do. He has tremendous skill and he can pull goals like that out of thin air." 

For most of the second half, the Huskies looked like a team with an extra man as they were consistently on the attack. Their best chance of the half came in the 48th minute when Alex Black fired it off Couturier, who made leapt of his feet and deflected the shot over the crossbar. 

Saint Mary's thought they scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute when the ball skipped through the box and was tapped in by the far corner, but the play was ruled offside to keep it 1-1. 

With the pressure mounting late in the game, the Panthers did everything they could to keep the ball out of the net and succeeded by sacrificing their body to block oncoming shots, and in the end they were rewarded with a hard-fought point.

UPEI looks for more tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Saint John to take on the UNB Reds.

Photo Credit: Greg Ellison