The Redeemer Royals needed a pair of late goals from Josh Elgeti to secure their first win of the season. Redeemer clawed their way back from a 1-0 deficit for a comeback 2-1 victory over the Lambton LIons. Elgeti netted goals in the 79th and 84th minute.

It was a nightmare start for the Royals as Lambton's Andrew Fluegel scored in the 2nd minute of the match to give the visitors the lead. The Royals started scrambled and a little inconsistent. With 8 new players on the game sheet for Redeemer in the opener, adjusting to the speed of the OCAA game was needed. As the match wore on, Redeemer looked more and more comfortable, taking control of the match and putting pressure on their opponent.

Head Coach Kyle Grootenboer noted that the team's start was shaky. "Only 3 returning starters were in our line-up to start the game", commented Grootenboer. "The first 10 minutes we were nervous. We did eventually settle in and started to find our game."

Backed by the strong showing of fans, despite the rainy and cool Saturday afternoon, Redeemer continued to grow in confidence and were finally rewarded late in the match. Having a reputation of late clutch goals in his career at Redeemer, Josh Elgeti was at it again in the opener. A diving header in the 79th minute finally tied the game up for the Royals as a ball crossed in from the left side saw Josh Elgeti lay his body out at the back post, knocking in his first of the season past a defender and the goalkeeper. 

"Our first goal showed a lot of excellent teamwork", mentioned Grootenboer. "It was very well finished by Josh. We were fortunate on the second goal, but good things happen when you put the ball in the box". 

Redeemer's second goal came on what appeared to be a high cross by Elgeti to the back post. Strong wind and rain pushed the ball deep, changing the ball path slightly, forcing it to the top right corner of the back of the net. The Royals took the 2-1 lead in the 84th minute and held off the Lions for the final minutes of the match. 

Overall, the coaching staff was pleased with the effort. "Zach Kingma and Noah Murray dominated their wing and changed the game for us. Ultimately, we are happy with the win, with the points, and excited to continue working hard this year".

Redeemer will get back at it on Monday in preparation for a night game match-up against the Fanshawe Falcons on Thursday.