As the temperature soared upwards of 40 degrees, the Lady Swans had to forget about the heat and lay a second type of pressure down on the Etobicoke Kangaroos.
The Roos, who came into the match one spot behind the Swans in the rankings, had several players on the interchange, compared to the maxed-out Swans.
But the ladies weren’t prepared to let anything stop them, and threw a 12.8 (80) to 3.5 (23) result down on the scoreboard.
The first half, the Swans laid pressure down with two goals, as the Roos were scoreless, up against a defense of Lisa Dalla Rosa, Amanda Paradis and Brier Dodge.
The frustrated Roos came back in the second quarter to kick for two goals, but not without the Swans adding two of their own.
Emma Dickinson frustrated the other team by consistently making herself a presence on the field, kicking three goals.
She was joined in the hat trick club by Kirsten Bodashefsky, recently acquired by the Swans. Bodashefsky’s strong soccer background was evident and she ran onto the ball and displayed strong accurate kicks.
Rounding out the triple threat Swans with three goals was Catherine Geci, who was a solid competitor in the forward line, making the Roos work to keep her covered.
Holly Costanza was excellent in the rucks, rucking against strong Roos player Sylvie De Brabandere, contributing two goals for the Swans side.
She got support throughout the game from Ricki-Lee Pitman, who managed to cover a significant amount of ground considering the heat and no interchanges, and score a goal of her own.
Nathalie Presseau continued to display strong kicks and helped the forward line dominate the game, with the ball in the Roos end of the field more often than not.
“The girls played a great game, especially considering the heat,” said head coach Chris Lockhart. “While there is still room for improvement, I’m impressed with the progress the girls have made and the skill they showed on the field for a new team.”
The ladies now enter a long break period, with the next game not until August 11 when they take on the first place High Park Demons.
Five Swans, Emma Dickinson, Holly Costanza, Brier Dodge, Ricki-Lee Pitman and Catherine Geci, as well as several of their Montreal affiliates, will be playing for Team Canada, the Northern Lights, during the break. They will travel to Dublin, Ohio to play Team USA over the August long weekend.
Swans 12.8 (80) defeated Roos 3.5 (23)
Goals: Emma Dickinson (3), Catherine Geci (3), Kirsten Bodashefsky (3), Holly Constanza (2), Ricki-Lee Pitman
The Swans will next play in Toronto on August 11 against the High Park Demons.
Last Modified on 18/07/2012 00:42