When you only score two goals all summer, you might as well make them count. Julie Lawrence did just that.
The Halifax Dunbrack winger rose to the occasion in Nova Scotia Soccer League Premiership’s women’s championship last night at Mainland Common, scoring a pair in a 3-1 victory over two-time defending champion Halifax City.
“I was joking with my coach before the game that I was saving them up for the final,” Lawrence said. “It’s pretty exciting that it worked out that way. I’m not a prolific goal-scorer but I’m excited with what happened today.”
Lawrence snapped her goalless summer in the 32nd minute, scoring on a tap-in after a great play by league MVP Leanne Huck. Less than a minute later, Dunbrack’s Kate MacDonald blasted home a long bomb from 30 yards out.
Five minutes into the second half, Lawrence bagged her second.
“It was a good game to save them up for, that’s for sure,” grinned Huck, who usually does Dunbrack’s scoring, with 11 goals and a Golden Boot award to her name this summer.
Nkem Ezurike scored for City, which won a national championship last season. The club struggled to find its game after star midfielders Hannah Abenheimer and Rachael Swetnam went down with knee injuries in the first half.
“They’re our engine,” said City head coach Carl Hayre.
The good news for City is, they’ll still get to defend their national title in October. Nova Scotia received an additional berth at the tournament after several provinces dropped out.
“It’s will almost be like a brand new season,” Hayre said.
That fact that both teams are going to nationals didn’t lessen the significance of victory for Dunbrack.
“We wanted to win,” Lawrence said. “We’re happy to go in as the best team this province has to offer.”
