'This is a team that’s exciting': Tides showcase improved defence in draw with AFC Toronto
There were moments where it felt like the Halifax Tides were destined to concede last weekend versus AFC Toronto. They'd struggled in previous trips to Ontario, fighting to contain stars like Kaylee Hunter and Esther Okoronkwo. But this is a new season and they showed it by walking out of BMO Field with a clean sheet and a draw.
Consider this: the Tides have already amassed four points in two matches, a feat which took them until their seventh tilt to collect last year.
And although a small sample size, their start to the season — featuring organized lines, strong defending and a renewed sense of identity — feels like one picking up momentum. It's something the players can feel.
"Look, this team is filled with individual talent that can come together and play so well as a team," said 'keeper Rylee Foster-Inman, who is one of several key additions who joined this off-season. "I think we have a strong core of players that returned from last season.
"This is a team that's exciting. We want to play."
Of course, it was the Tides who were tested early as AFC Toronto came out with purpose in the first half. They almost opened the scoring early as a lofted ball found rising star Hunter, who cut through Halifax's defence. Her shot hit Foster-Inman, which took some of the momentum away, but it was defender Sheyenne Allen — another new face — who sprinted over to clear the ball and keep the score level.
Foster-Inman said Allen's mentality reflects the ethos of head coach Stephen Hart's squad this year.
"In the first half there was an opportunity for a goal to trickle across the line and you saw Sheyenne go across and slide and save it. Those are the types of moments that are expected of us and we know we have each other's backs," she said.
And it's not that the Tides didn't apply pressure of their own: the match ended with Halifax sending 12 shots towards goal, with six landing on target. Toronto's 'keeper Sierra Cota-Yarde made key saves on Saorla Miller and Addy Weichers to prevent the Tides from going ahead.
Overall, Hart noted he was happy with his squad's performance and felt like they'd found their rhythm defensively, opting for the same starting XI which beat the Ottawa Rapid in their home opener.
The attacking chemistry, he said, will come with time.
"Sometimes, defending is probably easier to put in place than attacking. Anybody could break down a house but not everybody could build it, eh?" he said post-match. "We will keep working on our attacking game but you need the ball to do that so we'll keep working on our defensive game, too."
The Northern Super League season is young. But the Tides seem to be channeling a belief which has them third on the table — higher than they managed all last year. They have something to prove.
Cover Photo Credit: Northern Super League
