W-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Ridgebacks earn first program win

August 31 - Western @ UOIT

OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT women's soccer team did not allow a goal for 88 minutes in their OUA debut on Friday afternoon, but a late strike by Western freshman Lauren Winquist spoiled the Ridgebacks party as the Mustangs walked away with the 1-0 victory.
 
UOIT’s inaugural OUA game was played in front of a packed house at Vaso’s Field, with members of the Durham Region Soccer Association (DRSA) on hand to watch the historical game.
 
The game was scoreless heading into halftime, with Western having a slight 4-3 edge in shots.
 
The second half featured both sides trading opportunities, with goaltenders Melissa Linton (UOIT) and Tori Edger (Western) stopping everything that came their way.
 
Inching closer to full time, Lauren Winquist found a crease in the Ridgebacks defence and streaked in to scored her first career goal, beating Linton in the top corner. Winquist led all players with three shots in the match.
 
Edger made eight saves to pick up the shutout victory for Western while Linton made eight stops for UOIT in her OUA debut.
 
Kylie Bordeleau led UOIT with three shots on goal.
 
The Ridgebacks will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as the host the Windsor Lancers. Kick-off at Vaso’s Field is at noon.
 
UOIT will celebrate the women’s soccer inaugural season on Saturday, September 22 at homecoming against the Laurier Golden Hawks.

Source: UOIT Sports Info

September 1 - Trent @ Laurentian







OSHAWA, Ont. – The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) women’s soccer team defeated the University of Windsor 2-1 to secure the program’s first ever OUA victory on Saturday afternoon.
 
Hailee Thompson of Ajax scored the Ridgebacks game-winning goal at the 87 minute mark, as she fired home a rebound past Windsor goalkeeper Tara Benard-Rae, who stopped the Ridgebacks initial attempt.
 
“At first I didn’t think it was going in,” said Thompson. “We knew we had to take risks and it paid off. Coming off a tough loss yesterday, we really wanted this one.”
 
UOIT’s Jessica Mithrush opened up scoring just two minutes following half-time as she netted the Ridgebacks first ever goal. The Thunder Bay native received the ball off a free kick and one-touched it behind Benard-Rae for the historical goal.
 
“Emotions were really high,” said Mithrush. “Everyone was really excited and we worked hard for it. It wasn’t just my goal, it was the team’s goal.”
 
UOIT goalkeeper Melissa Linton made three saves in the win, with Windsor’s lone goal scored during the 75th minute by Jaclyn Faraci. Benard-Rae had seven stops for Windsor in the losing effort. UOIT outshot Windsor 9-4.
 
The first two games in UOIT women’s soccer history have come down to the wire as the Ridgebacks dropped their season opener 1-0 after allowing Western to score with two minutes left in the game.
 
“It’s been really rewarding so far,” said Mithrush. “Our team has just come together so to come out of the weekend with a win, we are pretty proud of ourselves.”
 
UOIT will look ahead to their first ever Campus Cup which will take place on Wednesday, September 5 as they take on Durham College at 6 p.m.
 
The Ridgebacks next regular season match-up is on Friday, September 7 as they head to Guelph.
 
Source: UOIT Sports Info

Toronto @ Carleton

The opening game of the Ontario University Athletics soccer season can be classified as both fortunate and frustrating for the Carleton Ravens women at Ravens Field.

Fortunate for the fact that they were able to play to a 1-1 draw with the Toronto Varsity Blues, one of the top teams in the OUA East Division.

The Blues had no fewer than four breakaways in the game but were only able to beat Carleton ‘keeper Rachel Bedek on one of those occasions.

The frustrating part was the fact that LaShaunna Harper got that marker in the 89th minute after Nicole Filipow had given the Ravens a 1-0 lead in the 67th minute.

The Ravens did have good opportunities to take a 2-0 lead and they also hit the crossbar twice in the dying seconds when looking for the win.

“It’s frustrating because we did have the better of the chances and we fairly dominant in terms of possession,” Ravens coach Alex McNutt said.

“We over committed in midfield going forward looking for a second (goal) and they caught us on the break”

Overall McNutt was very pleased with the effort although the lost two points were hard to take.

“Overall I felt we did enough to win. Even when they scored we hit the crossbar twice and that just showed the character in the team. You can’t ask for more as a coach and there were a lot of positives. The three points would have been nice but it’s early in the season.”

The ladies are back in action Sunday when they host the Ryerson Rams at 1 p.m.

Source: Carleton Sports Info

Laurier @ York

Goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini made five saves on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 1) as the York University Lions women's soccer team earned a scoreless draw with the Laurier Golden Hawks at York Stadium.

Fiorini, of Newmarket, Ont., was tremendous in net to earn her first shutout of the season. She made the save of the game in the second half when she poked a strong shot just over the top of the net to preserve the shutout.

Laurier's Maggie Carmichael made two saves for her first shutout of the season on the other end of the pitch.

The best scoring chance for the Lions came off the foot of Colleen Beesley of Richmond Hill, Ont., who went in alone but kicked the ball just wide of the net.

Defender Taylor Lyons, of Brampton, Ont., also had a great scoring opportunity but ricocheted her shot off the post. It was the second post the Lions hit in the game, as Samantha Cawkell, of Woodbridge, Ont., also connected with iron.

The Golden Hawks also hit the post on one shot that just got past the outstretched arm of Fiorini.

The Lions will return to the field on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 2) looking for their first win of the season against the Waterloo Warriors. Kick-off is set for 1pm at York Stadium.

Source: York Sports Info

Waterloo @ Guelph

The Guelph Gryphons Women’s soccer team defeated the visiting Waterloo Warriors today (Sept. 1) 1-0 to start off a fresh season.
 
Opening the game with a strong offensive front, the Gryphons were able to maintain possession for the majority of the half.  Largely thanks to excellent tackling on all fronts, the Gryphons exerted continuous pressure in the Warrior half but were unable to monopolize on the numerous opportunities created. 
 
Excellent footwork and smart play combined to prevent any Waterloo chances while the Gryphons were able to lead Courtney Whiteside (Guelph, ON) and Erica Bain (Niagara Falls, ON) into the Waterloo end for a combined six shots on net. 
 
Leading into the second half, there were several substitutions that allowed for continuous pressure in the Waterloo end.  With Breanna Hall (Ottawa) stepping into the forward squad, the Gryphons continued to dominate throughout the second half.  Yet
it was following Whiteside’s re-entry to the game late in the half that allowed for a successful strike at net in the 81^st minute, leading to a Whiteside header to put the Gryphons up 1-0.  The opportunity was created by Alex Lundhid (Mississauga, ON) and allowed the Gryphons to take their first win in regulation.
 
The Gryphon strong play in the preseason has carried over to the regular season with rookie Keeper Alexandra King’s first shutout in OUA regulation. 
 
The Gryphon Women’s team hopes to build on this success in their game tomorrow (Sept. 2) against the Laurier Goldenhawks.  The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.

Source: Guelph Sports Info

Ryerson @ Ottawa

The Gee-Gees women’s soccer team powered their way through a dominant first half to defeat the Ryerson Rams 6-0 in the first regular season contest of 2012. Goalkeepers Cynthia Leblanc (Granby, Que.) and Alexandra Girouard (St-Hyacinthe, Que.) each played a full half to split the shutout, while five different scorers evaded the Rams’ keepers.

The keepers played behind a defensive wall, however as the Rams mustered only one shot on net throughout the contest. Ottawa controlled possession effectively, especially in the first half. The midfielders were noticeably confident controlling the play, something fourth year Christine Hardie (Pictou, N.S.) noted is no coincidence. “It’s something we’ve been doing a lot in training, making sure the chemistry is really smooth between the three of us [midfielders]. We’ve been practicing it and supporting each other and I think it showed.”

Hardie provided an early lift for the Gee-Gees, scoring the opening goal on what head coach Steve Johnson described as “a spectacular wonder-strike which settled the nerves a little bit.” The long, powerful shot crossed the field directly into the top right corner of the net just eight minutes into the contest. “That was sweet, I loved it,” laughed Hardie, who noted the goal gave her confidence that the game would go the Gee-Gees’ way.

Following Hardie’s goal, Pilar Khoury converted a bounce off the Ram netminder, Julia Francki loaded up a hooking shot from the middle of the box, and Corina Jarrett buried a close range shot which was set up well by Krista Draycott, sending the Gee-Gees into the halftime with a commanding 4-0 lead.

In the second half, Francki scored her second of the game and rookie Vanessa MacMillan scored her first regular season goal with the Gee-Gees on a scramble in front of the net following a tough save by Ryerson’s Katrina Gonyea. MacMillan, who scored four goals in the Gee-Gees’ preseason, acknowledged the importance of potting her first OUA marker. “It feels good to be a part of the team that way. I’m a striker, I’m supposed to be scoring goals. The exhibition games were a really big part of us being able to perform as we did today, and it gave us confidence coming into the season,” said the Ottawa native following the game.

The Gee-Gees will return to their home pitch at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 2 for a match with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who finished third in the OUA East last season. The game will be presented in special three-camera, high definition format on SSN Canada.

Source: uOttawa Sports Info

September 2 - RMC @ Queen's

KINGSTON, Ont. (Sept. 2, 2012) – A pair of goals by Jennifer Siu (London, Ont.) led the Queen's Gaels to a 6-0 shutout of the RMC Paladins in OUA women's soccer action at the West Campus Field in Kingston, Sunday.
 
Siu, who entered the game as a substitute in the 38th minute, scored in the stoppage time of the first half, and added another goal in the 72nd minute, as the Gaels cruised to the victory.
 
Brenna Burton (Ottawa, Ont.) put the Gaels on the board in the tenth minute, while Jessie de Boer (North Vancouver, B.C.) followed up in the 25th minute. The Gaels put the game away late in the first half, as Jackie Tessier (Winnipeg, Man.) scored in the 38th minute, and Riley Filion (Alexandria, Ont.) found the net in the 45th minute, one minute before Siu's first marker. The Gaels led 5-0 at the interval.
 
Queen's outshot RMC 20-2, with Filion, Deboer, Burton and Tessier each taking three shots on goal. Sabrina Carew (Thunder Bay, Ont.) and Madison Tyrell (White Rock, B.C.) combined to earn the clean sheet, with Carew making two saves in the first half. Olivia Clarke made 14 saves for RMC, but suffered the loss.
 
The Gaels return to action on Wednesday, September 5, as they host the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Kickoff at the West Campus Field is set for 7 p.m.

Source: Queen's Sports Info

Trent @ Nipissing

?The Nipissing Lady Lakers captured their first point of the young OUA soccer season as they played to a scoreless draw against the visiting Trent Excalibur.

On a bright beautiful Sunday in North Bay the Lady Lakers took the Education Centre Field in their first home game of the season. After a disappointing start against the Voyageurs Thursday the Lady Lakers were looking for better fortunes with the goal of limiting their opponent’s chances early in the game.

The team accomplished just that as they kept the Excalibur mainly to the outside and when Trent tried to produce some offence Lady Lakers keeper Kelley Van Boxmeer was there to thwart any dangerous attacks.
 
The teams battled for possession but in the end no team could find the score sheet before half.

The Lady Lakers really started to find their footing in the middle of the second half and applied some relentless pressure that lead to some great scoring opportunities.  None closer than the one that presented itself to second year forward Erica Dixon who collected a loose ball in the 18 yard box and made a great move to deke the final defender and fired a shot that rang off the cross bar and was cleared by Trent’s defence.

It would prove to be one of those days for the offence as shot after shot would barely miss its intended target.

Head Coach David Bitonti was happy with his team’s ability to follow the game plan. 

“Coming into the game we wanted to apply some high pressure and I thought we did that,” said Bitonti. “We also created more chances using our midfield however we just couldn’t finish them.”

The Lady Lakers will be off to the Nation’s Capital to face the Ottawa Gee Gees and Carleton Ravens next weekend.

Source: Nipissing Sports Info

Ryerson @ Carleton

Chalk up the first win, this OUA season, for the Carleton Ravens women`s soccer team as they defeated the Ryerson Rams 1-0 at Ravens Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Carleton forward Andrea Way (Navan, ON) provided all the offence the Ravens needed on the day when she snuck the ball past Ryerson goalkeeper Katrin Persson-Thomas in the 48^th minute of play.

Way notched the winning marker early in the second half of play after the two teams failed to score in the opening 45 minutes.

As Way sprinted down the right wing and towards the Ryerson goal she attempted to make a cross pass to a teammate. Rams goalkeeper Katrina Persson-Thomas stepped in and tried to intercept the pass but it slipped through her hands and into the net.

“All I can remember from the goal is that I tried to kick the ball to the goal area and their goalie missed it,“ said Way.

“We had lots of chances to score earlier in the game so it was nice to get one early in the second half. I thought we deserved to win the game and I`m glad we did.“

 With a tie and win this past weekend the Ravens earned four out of a possible six points.

Head coach Alex McNutt was pleased with his team`s efforts on Sunday despite some nail biting moments for the Ravens with time winding down in the game.

“Overall, I`m pretty happy, but I`m confident we can play better,“ McNutt said.

“The ending was a bit nerve wracking but I thought we had some good spells of possession and composure plus we defended well.“

One particular moment that had McNutt holding his breath, came in the dying seconds of extra time.

With time running out in the second half, a Ryerson forward was about to break in on Carleton goalkeeper Rachel Bedek (St. Thomas, ON). But Ravens defender Valerie Hamilton (Ottawa, ON) tracked her down and kicked the ball away to thwart a potential game tying attempt.

Next game: Saturday, September 8 @ Ravens Field against Laurentian.

Game time is slated for noon.

Source: Carleton Sports Info

Waterloo @ York

The York University Lions women's soccer team controlled the soccer field on Sunday (Sept. 2), battling to a 2-0 victory over the visiting Waterloo Warriors and posting its first win of the season.

York opened the scoring in the 15^th minute of the first half when midfielder Rita Keimakh of Maple, Ont., kicked in a loose ball in front of the net. York forward Colleen Beesley of Richmond Hill, Ont., was credited with the assist.

The Lions dominated the flow of play in the first half, spending the majority of time in the Warriors defensive end and posting a number of scoring chances.

York's formidable defensive play, led by team captain Felicia Turone of Brampton, Ont., minimized the scoring opportunities against goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini of Newmarket, Ont., who posted her second shutout in as many games this season.  

The Lions scored their second marker of the game in the 53^rd minute when Shannon Wood of Brampton, Ont., kicked a high shot into the top right corner of the opposing goal, off a lob pass from Alessia Mattucci of Thornhill, Ont.

Warriors goalkeeper Lesia Bandura of Kitchener, Ont., put on a very strong performance despite the loss, posting a 12-save effort. Her best save of the game came late in the second half on a Lions barrage in front of the net that started with a tough header from Keimakh followed up by two consecutive quick kicks from Adeife Adekusibe of Nobleton, Ont. She held on, however, to preserve the two-goal differential.

The women's soccer Lions will look to continue their undefeated season next Sunday (Sept. 9) at 1pm, against UOIT at York Stadium.

Source: York Sports Info

Laurier @ Guelph

The Guelph Gryphon Women’s soccer team fell to the Laurier Golden Hawks after a bitter 3-2 defeat today (Sept. 2) at the Gryphons Soccer Complex.
 
The loss drops the Gryphons to 1-1 and propels the Golden Hawks to 2-0 in the OUA West standings.
 
The Gryphons came out with the confidence to build on their previous victory over the Waterloo Warriors (Sept. 1) by creating many chances in the Laurier end early in the half.  Yet with Laurier’s Emily Brown (Waterloo, ON) scoring first in the 21st minute, it seemed the defending OUA Silver Medalists were not to be taken lightly.  Following the goal, Laurier managed to get two free kicks deep in the Guelph half that were thankfully upset by the Gryphons defensive core.
 
Despite the heat, the Gryphons were able to match the Golden Hawks’ aggressive play to round out the half with a beautiful goal by Guelph’s Erica Bain(Niagara Falls, ON) in the 45th minute.  The play was largely thanks to spectacular efforts from Courtney Whiteside (Guelph, ON) and Breanna Hall (Ottawa) to confuse the Laurier defence.
 
Several changes at half allowed the Gryphons to carry on their dominant pressure throughout the early stages of the second half.  Great awareness by Gryphon Captain, Alexandra Harriss (Dundas, ON) allowed Guelph to keep the ball in Laurier territory.  After several attempts, a great touch by Hall in the 66th minute allowed for Kaitlin Mulholland (Burlington, ON) to set up a juicy rebound for Harriss to put Guelph up 2-1.
 
But it was following a questionable penalty deep in the Guelph half that Laurier was able to score on a penalty kick in the 76th minute.  Katie Bishop (Surrey, BC) of the Golden Hawks was awarded the tying goal.
 
The final stages of the game saw excellent play by both squads on both offensive and defensive fronts.  Yet despite the great defensive play by the Gryphons, Laurier’s Brown was able to sneak through the Guelph defence in the 89th minute to seal a 3-2 Golden Hawk victory.  Regardless of the outcome, Guelph’s keeper Megan Klimas (Russel, ON) played an outstanding game, stopping eight of eleven Laurier opportunities.
 
The Gryphon Women’s team looks to rebound against the UOIT Ridgebacks on Friday, September 7.  The game is scheduled to take place at the Gryphons Soccer Complex at 8:15 p.m.

Source: Guelph Sports Info

Toronto @ Ottawa