M-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Playoff picture beginning to take shape
September 28 – Waterloo @ Laurier
WATERLOO, Ont. (September 28, 2012) - Coming on the heels of a disappointing loss to McMaster at home on Sunday, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's soccer team (4-2-3) looked to get back into the win column Friday when they hosted the struggling Waterloo Warriors (1-7-1).
Despite out-shooting the Warriors 7-2, the Golden Hawks were unable to score a goal in the game. The Hawks managed to prevent any Waterloo offence and held the game to a scoreless draw.
The Hawks regular starting keeper Brett Harrington of Tillsonburg, Ont., remained out of the lineup for the game following a red card received against McMaster Sunday. Stepping in to replace Harrington was first year keeper Evan Phillips of Toronto, who made two saves in his first OUA appearance.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
September 29 – Windsor @ Guelph
The Guelph Gryphons men’s soccer team closed out Saturday (Sept. 29) with a 1-1 tie against the visiting Windsor Lancers at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
This game puts the Gryphons at a 3-4-1 standing while the Lancers move to 4-3-2 in the 2012 OUA season.
Throughout the first half, possession was tossed evenly between teams and with great awareness and dexterity by Gryphon keeper Chad Paparoni (Burlington, Ont.), the Gryphons were able to keep the Lancers at bay. The Windsor keeper, Dejo Olagbeji was also instrumental in the disruption of the multitude of Gryphon attacks throughout the game. The two keepers would combine to round out the half tied at 0.
Despite the excellent communication and footwork between teams, the scoreless game served only to fan the flame of frustration on the field. As the level of tension and physicality rose, fouls and free kicks became the theme of the day. Guelph’s Brenden Springer (Burlington, Ont.) was able to bury his own rebound off a penalty kick in the 60th minute to give Guelph a 1-0 lead.
Determined to pierce the Gryphon defence, the Lancers finally proved successful in the 72nd minute as Brett Holmberg was able to trickle in the final goal of the day to tie the game at one.
The majority of Lancer attacks were kept at bay largely thanks to great defensive contribution from rookie defenseman Justin Springer (Burlington, Ont.), Marc Bijman (Brantford, Ont.), Neil McLoughlin (Mississauga, Ont.) and Paul Manchisi (Oakville, Ont.). Meanwhile rookies Jared Agyemang (Brampton, Ont.) and Connor Elliott(Ottawa) also played vital roles.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Western @ York
The York University Lions men's soccer team earned a 2-0 victory over the visiting Western Mustangs on Saturday (Sept. 29) at York Stadium, extending their undefeated season to nine games.
The Lions, who are ranked No. 2 in the CIS, are now 8-0-1 on the year and currently sits atop the OUA West Division standings with 25 points. The Mustangs are still fifth in the division with a 3-3-3 mark.
The Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Adrian Pena of Woodbridge, Ont., added another goal to his total in the sixth minute, picking up an easy tap-in off of a brilliant offensive play started by defender and team captain Branko Majstorovic of Mississauga, Ont. Another notable contributor on the play was phenomenal rookie Mark-Anthony Kaye of Toronto, who faked out the defence by allowing Majstorovic's pass to travel between his legs on its way to Pena.
The goal was Pena's 11th of the season, tying him for the OUA scoring lead.
The Mustangs increased their offensive pressure in search of the tying goal, with the best opportunity coming off the foot of Dominic Bell of Waterloo, Ont., in the 26th minute. However, his shot wasn't able to beat Lions' keeper Sotiri Varlokostas of Toronto.
Pena set up a midfield strike for Arthur Casupnan of Niagara Falls, Ont., in the 29th minute, but the long shot sailed high over the net.
A tricky cross pass by Alex Lewis of London, Ont., found Pat Mroczek of St. Catherine's Ont., who managed to launch a strong header at the Lions net, missing high, in the 32nd minute.
The 39th minute saw a strong offensive rush for the Lions, culminating in a speedy shot for rookie striker Joseph Cicchillo of North York, Ont., but the save was made low by Mustang keeper Ivan Skoko of Mississauga, Ont.
Despite offensive pressure on both sides of the ball, including a 44th minute back-heel shot by Pat Mroczek of St. Catharines, Ont., that nearly fooled Varlokostas, strong defensive efforts by both teams resulted in a 1-0 Lions lead on Pena's early goal at the half.
York began the second half by applying strong offensive pressure, registering shots for both Kaye and midfielder Charlie Trafford of Calgary, whose kick for the top corner was just barely nudged over the net by Skoko.
There was a scare for the Lions as the Mustangs appeared to score a goal in the 61st minute, but the goal was called back as the result of a hand ball.
Cicchillo added a goal for York in the 69th minute off a strong charge down the wing that beat Skoko with a hard kick into the low corner. Western looked to answer in a hurry, with a strong break through the York defense in the 71st minute, but Varlokostas challenged effectively to make a huge save in his chest.
Source: York Sports Info
Waterloo @ UOIT
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s soccer team earned their second straight win over the Waterloo Warriors with a 1-0 shutout at Vaso’s Field on Saturday.
The Ridgebacks (3-6-0) move one point behind the Guelph Gryphons (3-4-1) for the final playoff spot in the OUA western conference.
Andrew Serediuk of Mississauga got the Ridgebacks on the board during the 19th minute, as he beat Waterloo keeper Adam Weller for his first goal of the year.
Travis Martin (Port Perry, Ont.) did the rest of the work as he stopped all six Waterloo shots on net to earn his first shutout of the season.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Brock @ McMaster
The McMaster men's soccer team took down the Brock Badgers for their eighth win of the season in a 4-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Ron Joyce Stadium.
With an uneventful start to the game, it took the Marauders 25 minutes to get on the board. A cross from a Marauder would find Mark Reilly's (Hamilton, Ont.) head. Brock's goalkeeper would make the save, but midfielder Paterson Farrell (Oakville, Ont.) would be waiting for the rebound and would put the shot in the back of the net.
Just four minutes after their first goal, second-year Elliot Pecora (Sarnia, Ont.) would score his first goal of the season with a ball fed from Ryan Garnett (Kitchener, Ont.) that would beat the goalie on a wide angle shot. The half would end with the McMaster up 2-0.
The Marauders would dominate the second half of the game. Goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo (Hamilton, Ont.) would barely be tested as Brock was forced to be in their end for the majority of the half. Garnett would then facilitate another goal for the Marauders. A shot from the top of the box would rebound from Brock's goalkeeper and forward Reilly would bury it for his seventh of the season in the 62nd minute.
The last goal of the game would be scored just five minutes later. On a through ball, Farrell would find himself wide open and one-on-one with just Brock's goalkeeper. The third-year business student would beat the keeper for a low shot to the corner for McMaster's fourth goal of the game.
With fifteen minutes left, goalkeeper Cavalluzzo would be relieved by Mo Mohamed (Hamilton, Ont.) as both would help secure the shut out for McMaster.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Queen’s @ RMC
The No. 5-ranked Queen's Gaels men's soccer team won 3-1 over local rivals Royal Military College on Saturday, moving them back into first place in the OUA East Division.
The Queen's Gaels had a 2-0 lead by halftime thanks to Patrick Zanetti's goal in the 13th minute, and Nathan Klemencic with the second in the 40th.
Daniel Cruz scored the lone goal for RMC in the 61st minute, and with a close 2-1 score intensity stayed high well until the last minute. The game finished off with a yellow card in the ninety-first minute and a third goal for Queen's by Eric Koskins in the ninety-second minute.
Queen's took 13 shots on net, to RMC's eight. The Gaels (7-0-1) are first in the OUA East division with 22 points
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
Carleton @ Ryerson
The Ryerson men’s soccer team could not close out the No. 10 Carleton Ravens, playing to a 1-1 draw Saturday afternoon at Allan Lamport Stadium.The Rams (4-1-3) and Ravens (6-1-1) battled hard for 85 scoreless minutes before the game's first goal. Rams midfielder Milos Scepanovic was hauled down in the box to set up a penalty kick, which he slid just past the fingertips of Carleton keeper Mark Krocko.
Less than 10 minutes later in injury time, the Ravens were awarded a free kick. After a scramble and a Christian Maraldo rebound, the ball found the wrong foot and then the back of the net as Carleton's Mintcho Mintchev netted his first goal of the season.
“We both fought our hearts out and it ended up being a tie,” Scepanovic said. “We should have won, but one lack of concentration in the end and that’s what happens.”
Associate Coach Filip Prostran said that while his team picked up one point, he felt like they had left two on the table. Despite the heartbreaking ending, Prostran was still proud of his teams’ performance against a nationally ranked opponent.
“Usually we can’t come and play Carleton because of the physicality,” Prostran. “But we matched them physically. They’re a top-10 team in the country ... that’s about as good as it gets. We can play with the best.”
With the draw, the Rams extend their unbeaten streak to seven games and prevented the Ravens from sweeping the season series. Carleton is the only squad to beat Ryerson this season.
“They are an excellent team,” said Rams midfielder Nikola Milosevic. “They go hard, they are the fittest team in the league. It was a pretty physical game, but overall, it was a fair result.”
All-Canadian Alex Braletic and OUA all-star defender Michael Jan both sat out the game with injuries.
The Rams can’t think about the game for too long, as they play three games in a span of five nights. They take on Trent on Wednesday and make a trip to Kingston for weekend games against RMC and Queen’s.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
September 30 – Windsor @ York
The No. 2 nationally-ranked York University Lions men's soccer team continued its undefeated season with a 3-1 victory over the Windsor Lancers at York Stadium on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 30).
The win was the squad's ninth in 10 games, and they continue to lead the OUA West Division standings with a 9-0-1 record. The Lancers, meanwhile, fall to 4-4-2 on the season.
Second-year midfielder Charlie Trafford of Calgary scored the opening goal for the Lions in the 10th minute. His shot went off the crossbar and hit the ground just inside the line. Windsor goalkeeper Dejo Olabegi tried to convince the referee that it wasn't in, but it was called a goal to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
That was the only score of the first half as the Lions carried their one-goal lead into halftime.
It didn't take long for the home squad to extend its lead as Giancarlo Rella of Woodbridge, Ont., scored in the 50th minute for a 2-0 advantage.
The score would stay like that until mid-way through the second half, when third-year defender Casey D'Mello of Mississauga, Ont., and rookie midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye of Toronto combined on a beautiful goal for the third of the game. D'Mello had the ball on his foot right in front of Olabegi on the right side of the net. Just when it looked like Olabegi was going to reach down and pick up the ball, D'Mello passed it to Kaye in front of the net and Kaye tapped it into the wide open cage.
York head coach Carmine Isacco started subbing out starters at that point and the Lancers quickly took control. Five minutes after Kaye's goal, Windsor's Eric Cirovski put one behind Lions goalkeeper Sotiri Varlokostas of Toronto to make the score 3-1.
The Lancers continued to apply constant offensive pressure for the remainder of the game but could not get any closer on the scoreboard.
The Lions will be on the road for their next two contests, starting with a trip to Guelph, Ont., on Friday night (Oct. 5) to face the Gryphons at 7:45pm. Their next home game is set for Sunday, Oct. 14 against the Brock Badgers at 3:15pm.
Source: York Sports Info
UOIT @ Laurier
WATERLOO, Ont. (September 30, 2012) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's soccer team (5-2-3) hosted the UOIT Ridgebacks (3-7-0) Sunday afternoon for the second meeting of the season between the two.
The first half was uneventful and saw neither team manage a shot. Going late into the second half it looked as though the game might end as the second scoreless bout for Laurier in three days, however a pair of late goals gave the Hawks a 2-0 win over the Ridgebacks.
Scoring for the Hawks were Donald Chmura of Waterloo, Ont., with a goal at the 77th minute and Adrian Bucksam of Mississauga, Ont., scoring in the 89th minute. Chmura's goal was his first of the season while Bucksam's was his second.
In net for his fifth shutout of the season was keeper Brett Harrington of Tillsonburg, Ont., who faced two shots.
The Golden Hawks take to the road Wednesday to visit the Brock Badgers (0-6-1). The game begins at 3 p.m.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Western @ Guelph
The Guelph Gryphons men’s soccer team defeated the visiting Western Mustangs 1-0 today (September 30) at the Gryphons Soccer Complex.
The game thrusts the Gryphons to a 4-4-1 standing while dropping the Mustangs to 3-4-3.
Great defensive stability heading into the game kept numerous Mustang attacks at bay throughout the first half of the game to keep Guelph in pace with Western’s strong offensive play. An additional five saves by Chad Paparoni (Burlington, Ont.) in the first half alone alleviated defensive pressure on the Gryphons, giving the offense time to recoup.
While possession remained largely up for grabs in the first half with neither teams taking a chink out of the other’s armour; the Gryphon offense slowly began to find its rhythm. With the help of Michael Bijman, (Brantford, Ont.) the Gryphons tallied their fourth shot in just under 15 minutes to gain necessary momentum going into halftime.
With two early bookings in the second, it was clear that the emotional stage would only intensify as the battle for possession continued. While the offsides stacked up on both sides, and the fouls becoming all too common, a strong strike off the Mustang post in the 54th minute rattled the Mustang cage. Further insult to injury was added as Colin Aubrey (Ottawa, Ont.) carefully rallied the rebound to dish it off to Spiros Maimonis (Oakville, Ont.) who hammered home the Gryphons’ first goal of the game.
Combined efforts by Paul Manchisi (Oakville, Ont.), Marc Bijman (Brantford, Ont,), Michael Bijman and Justin Springer (Burlington, Ont.), allowed Chad Paparoni to easily stop the three Mustang strikes on net to secure his third shutout of the 2012 sesason.
The Gryphons look to replicate their success as they take on the UOIT Ridgebacks in Oshawa on Wednesday (October, 3). The game is set to start at 6:00 pm.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Carleton @ Toronto
The Varsity Blues scored two late goals to edge the No. 10 Carleton Ravens 2-1 in OUA men’s soccer action on Sunday, September 30 at Varsity Centre.
With the win, the Blues improve to 4-4-0 and sit tied for fourth place in the OUA East, while the Ravens drop to 6-2-1 and remain in second.
In what proved to be a back-and-forth battle, the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 until the 83rd minute. Third-year Blues midfielder Ezequiel Lubocki (Winnipeg) finally opened the scoring when received a cross from Marko Miketic and fired the ball into the back of the net.
With the intensity geared up a notch, the Ravens evened the score when OUA leading scorer Andrew Latty (Ottawa) caught the Blues off guard and fired the ball past Toronto keeper Rab Bruce-Lockhart
Toronto remained calm and in injury time, fifth-year veteran Dylan Bams of Fanny Bay, B.C., connected with a Darragh McGee corner kick to notch the game-winner and give the Blues their first win over Carleton since 2011.
The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, October 6 as they head to Kingston, Ont., to take on the Queen’s Gaels. Game time is set for 3:15 p.m.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
