October 29, 2008
OUA WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
HAMILTON, Ont. - The Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Women's Final Four Soccer Championship gets underway this weekend with the provincial champions crowned on Sun., Nov. 2 on the pitch at the University of Ottawa.
Semi-final action starts on Sat. Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. when the host Gee-Gees meet the Brock Badgers. Ottawa (10-2-3) is looking to reclaim their crown from 2006 after it was knocked off by York last year. Their 1-0 victory over Queen's in the quarter-finals saw Rachel Swetnam (Halifax, N.S.) net one for Ottawa in the 14th minute of the first half. The Gee-Gees played solid defence the rest of the way to take the victory.
Brock features OUA West Rookie of the Year Sloan George (Oakville, Ont.) who has contributed five goals to the Badgers 9-3-4 season. In quarter-final action against the York Lions, the Brock defence played outstanding led by OUA Second Team All-Star Brittany Vanderkruk (Dundas, Ont.) as it was able to keep OUA leading scorer Stefania Morra (Scarborough, Ont.) without a shot the entire game. With Morra held back, the Badgers were able to upset the highest-seeded Ontario team 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals. Brock nipped the Western Mustangs 1-0 in the opening round.
In the second semi-final game on Saturday, the Carleton Ravens take on the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
This is the second consecutive appearance for the Carleton Ravens (8-6-2) in the OUA Final Four. First Team OUA All-Star Aisha Stinson (Ottawa, Ont.) had the lone goal of the game, in a 1-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in the quarter-finals. Carleton is the lowest seeded team in the tournament but enter on a high from knocking off the first place East Division team. Carleton survived a shootout win on the road against the Laurentian Lady Vees in the opening round.
No.8-ranked Wilfrid Laurier (10-1-5) handed the undefeated McMaster Marauders their first loss of the season to eliminate them from playoffs. The 3-1 quarter-final win showcased Ali McKee (Bracebridge, Ont.) who scored twice at Ron Joyce Stadium. Laurier's First Team All-Star Heather Malizia (Burlington, Ont.) leads the Lady Hawks in scoring with six goals for the season.
The Golden Hawks opened the playoffs with a 3-1 victory over the arch-rival Waterloo Warriors.
Sunday sees the semi-final losing teams battle for bronze at 11:30 a.m. followed by the OUA final at 2 p.m. where a new champion will be crowned.
All four games of the championship will be webcast live by SSN Canada. Join Gordon Smith for all the play-by-play. Visit www.ssncanada.ca to see all the action.
OUA CHAMPIONSHIP
November 1, 2008 - Semi-Finals @ Ottawa
11:00 a.m. Brock vs. Ottawa
1:30 p.m. Carleton vs. Laurier
November 2, 2008 - Finals @ Ottawa
11:30 a.m. Semi-Final Losers (Bronze Medal)
2 p.m. Semi-Final Winners (OUA Final)
– OUA –
ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.
Photo Credit: Joël Côté-Cright
Semi-final action starts on Sat. Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. when the host Gee-Gees meet the Brock Badgers. Ottawa (10-2-3) is looking to reclaim their crown from 2006 after it was knocked off by York last year. Their 1-0 victory over Queen's in the quarter-finals saw Rachel Swetnam (Halifax, N.S.) net one for Ottawa in the 14th minute of the first half. The Gee-Gees played solid defence the rest of the way to take the victory.
Brock features OUA West Rookie of the Year Sloan George (Oakville, Ont.) who has contributed five goals to the Badgers 9-3-4 season. In quarter-final action against the York Lions, the Brock defence played outstanding led by OUA Second Team All-Star Brittany Vanderkruk (Dundas, Ont.) as it was able to keep OUA leading scorer Stefania Morra (Scarborough, Ont.) without a shot the entire game. With Morra held back, the Badgers were able to upset the highest-seeded Ontario team 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals. Brock nipped the Western Mustangs 1-0 in the opening round.
In the second semi-final game on Saturday, the Carleton Ravens take on the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
This is the second consecutive appearance for the Carleton Ravens (8-6-2) in the OUA Final Four. First Team OUA All-Star Aisha Stinson (Ottawa, Ont.) had the lone goal of the game, in a 1-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in the quarter-finals. Carleton is the lowest seeded team in the tournament but enter on a high from knocking off the first place East Division team. Carleton survived a shootout win on the road against the Laurentian Lady Vees in the opening round.
No.8-ranked Wilfrid Laurier (10-1-5) handed the undefeated McMaster Marauders their first loss of the season to eliminate them from playoffs. The 3-1 quarter-final win showcased Ali McKee (Bracebridge, Ont.) who scored twice at Ron Joyce Stadium. Laurier's First Team All-Star Heather Malizia (Burlington, Ont.) leads the Lady Hawks in scoring with six goals for the season.
The Golden Hawks opened the playoffs with a 3-1 victory over the arch-rival Waterloo Warriors.
Sunday sees the semi-final losing teams battle for bronze at 11:30 a.m. followed by the OUA final at 2 p.m. where a new champion will be crowned.
All four games of the championship will be webcast live by SSN Canada. Join Gordon Smith for all the play-by-play. Visit www.ssncanada.ca to see all the action.
OUA CHAMPIONSHIP
November 1, 2008 - Semi-Finals @ Ottawa
11:00 a.m. Brock vs. Ottawa
1:30 p.m. Carleton vs. Laurier
November 2, 2008 - Finals @ Ottawa
11:30 a.m. Semi-Final Losers (Bronze Medal)
2 p.m. Semi-Final Winners (OUA Final)
– OUA –
ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.
Photo Credit: Joël Côté-Cright
