W-SOCCER ROUNDUP: McMaster hands Laurier first loss of the season
October 5 - Laurier @ McMaster
The McMaster women’s soccer team knew it would be facing a tough challenge against the undefeated Laurier Golden Hawks at Ron Joyce Stadium, but the Marauders rose to the occasion and defeated Laurier 1-0.
The visitors from Laurier entered Friday’s game unbeaten in 11 games with nine wins and two draws. The Hawks are first in the OUA West division and ranked No. 3 in the CIS top-ten. But McMaster knew it could play with the powerful Hawks, after losing a tough 1-0 contest on a late goal in Waterloo, earlier this season.
The first half saw no scoring, with McMaster having the best chance off a corner kick, but not able to bury the loose ball. The second half had barely started, when Mac’s Tara Dawdy rifled a perfect strike from 25 yards out that flew past Laurier keeper Katrina Ward.
Dawdy’s goal in the 49th minute was her sixth of the season, tops on the Marauder squad.
Things got even more challenging for McMaster minutes later when Marauder Julia Maiolino was assessed a second yellow card and sent off, leaving the Marauders a player short for the rest of the game.
Despite some steady pressure by Laurier, Mac showed considerable poise on the counter-attack and Marauder keeper Brittany Duffey was unflappable whenever the Hawks mounted a scoring chance.
The win improves McMaster’s record to six wins, two losses, and two draws in the OUA, and puts them in the running to finish second in the division and get a first round playoff bye.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
York @ Guelph
The Guelph Gryphons women’s soccer team fought to the end to claim a 1-1 tie tonight (Oct. 5) with the visiting York Lions at the Gryphon Soccer Complex. The tie puts the Gryphons at 4-3-4 while giving the Lions their sixth tie to go 4-1-6.
Looking to maintain the strong momentum following their defeat over the Western Mustangs last weekend, the Gryphons got off to a slow start against an evenly matched York squad. As each team took the initial stages of the game to weigh each other, possession remained equally split throughout the first half
The first sign of life came in the 15th minute as a York corner kick fought its way through the Gryphon defence only to be stopped dead by a stoic play by Alex King (Ottawa). This would be her first of three saves in the half.
Constant York pressure did nothing to crack Gryphon resolve with the half ending with zeroes across the board as neither team was able to find their rhythm. And while Gryphon energy remained high, solid midfield and defensive play by the Lions kept the Gryphons out of scoring range for the entirety of the half.
Determined to break this streak, the Lions came out strong with a well placed corner in the 46th to challenge the Gryphon keeper. With her eyes set on her fourth OUA shut-out, King gobbled up the Lion’s efforts in time to rally her Gryphons around her.
Inspired by King’s miraculous efforts in net, the Gryphons quickly rebounded in the 65th with Lauren Hampton (Calgary) establishing her presence on the field. Weaving her way into the Lion’s box, Hampton was able to connect on a beautiful pass to score on the Gryphons’ first shot to put them up 1-0. However, the lead was short lived as the Lions wasted no time on retaliation by scoring a bouncing goal less than a minute later to spoil King’s shut-out dreams. Nour Ghoneim was awarded the tying goal.
Offsides and free kicks kept the Gryphons out of scoring range while giving the Lions plenty of time to find the go-ahead goal. Luckily, Gryphon defence was able to rally around Lauren Hampton to finish strong and claim the single point in their quest for OUA gold.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
October 6 – Ottawa @ Laurentian
Fifth-year defender Gillian Baggot staked women’s soccer team to an early lead against Laurentian which carried the no. 1 ranked team in the nation to a 3-0 victory on Saturday afternoon in Sudbury.
The stingy Gee-Gees defence allowed only four shots to reach goalkeeper Cynthia Leblanc, who recorded her fifth shutout of the season, and the team’s tenth.
“It was a terrific team effort today, right from the beginning,” commented assistant coach Stuart Barbour on the team’s performance. “We struggled against them the first game [on September 9], but today we handled them well.”
Baggot scored her fourth goal of the season only twelve minutes into the game, taking advantage of a second opportunity on an indirect free kick taken by Maris Barnabe. Vanessa MacMillan struck again before the half time, breaking in on a thirty yard run thanks to a pass from Pilar Khoury. “She made a great inside-out move and finished it like a pro,” described Barbour.
While it came late in the game, Francki’s goal was also impressive as the Gee-Gees continued to control the play. Midfielder Francki fired a rocket shot into the back of the net after fighting off her share of Laurentian defenders.
With the 3-0 victory, the Gee-Gees have now scored 38 goals while allowing just 1 through the opening twelve games of the season. The team will now travel to North Bay for a Thanksgiving Sunday match with the winless Nipissing Lakers.
Source: Ottawa Sports Info
Toronto @ Queen’s
A pair of goals two minutes apart keyed the Toronto Varsity Blues to a 3-1 victory over the Queen's Gaels in OUA women's soccer action at the West Campus Field, Saturday. Melissa Bowen opened the scoring in the 20th minute, while Diana Esteireiro scored in the 22nd minute, as the Blues handed the No. 7-ranked Gaels only their second loss of the season.
Breanna Burton scored in response for the Gaels, in the 73rd minute, but Aisha Lewis put the game away from Toronto with her marker at two minutes from time.
Sara Petrucci picked up the win in goal for Toronto, making two saves, while Sabrina Carew (Thunder Bay, Ont.) made one save in a losing cause. Toronto outshot Queen's 4-3.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
Ryerson @ RMC
The RMC women’s soccer team took to the Navy Bay pitch against Ryerson on Saturday afternoon, looking to get their home record back to .500 and improve on its 2-1 loss to the Rams earlier in the season.
The Paladins got off to a great start scoring in the 9th minute of play. Rookie Mireille Musca won the ball off a Rams midfielder and quickly moved the ball to Michelle Hamilton. The third year centre-midfielder dribbled into the Rams defensive third and hit a hard shot from 25 meters out that beat goalkeeper Bronwyn Clarke to her left side. The goal was Hamilton’s 6th of the season.
The second half saw few clear goal scoring chances but both goalkeepers were kept busy collecting through-balls and crosses. In the final minute of play the Rams saw another shot go off the post and stay out.
Clarke recorded 7 saves in the match for RMC, while Bronwyn Clarke made 6 saves for Ryerson. RMC moved back into 6th position in the OUA East with its fourth win of the season.
Source: RMC Sports Info
UOIT @ Western
The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s soccer team earned their second straight 1-0 victory as they defeated the Western Mustangs in London on Saturday afternoon.
UOIT’s Sara Voisin scored the game’s lone goal at the 18 minutemark, as she streaked in and buried a shot into the top corner just out of the reach of Western keeper Tori Edgar.
UOIT and Western would trade chances in the second half, but both goaltenders were outstanding as neither team was able to score.
Ridgebacks goalkeeper Melissa Linton stopped all ten shots on target she faced, earning her second straight shutout and fifth of the season. Linton has led the Ridgebacks to three 1-0 victories over their last four games.
Western’s Madison Seymour earned a red card in the second half, as the Mustangs played a man short for a portion of the second half.
Final shots in the match were 10-6 in favour of Western.
The season series between UOIT and Western ends in a split, as both teams earned 1-0 road victories. Western’s victory over UOIT was the Ridgebacks inaugural game.
UOIT is 5-5-2 on the year and moves ahead of Guelph for fifth place in the OUA western conference standings. The Ridgebacks will take on the Windsor Lancers (0-8-3) on Sunday afternoon.
Western is in third place with a 7-3-2 conference record.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Waterloo @ McMaster
The McMaster Marauders women's soccer team defeated the Waterloo Warriors at Ron Joyce Stadium on a chilly Saturday afternoon by a score of 2-1.
In the opening minutes of the game, McMaster got their first chance to score. Defender Adrienne Harrison (Burlington, Ont.) would take a shot from 30 yards out, but it would hit the cross bar. On the rebound, Mel Van Der Hoop (Oakville, Ont.) would go for the header but Waterloo's goalkeeper would make the stop.
Despite some sloppy play from both teams at the beginning of the match, the Marauders cleaned it up and put some passes together for their first goal. Working deep in the Warriors' end, Marauder Maureen Mai (Peterborough, Ont.) would deek out a Waterloo defender on the top right corner of the box. With an opening, the first-year forward would bury it opposite top corner to give McMaster the 1-0 lead.
With ten minutes left in the half, sweeper Cristina Leonardelli (Woodbridge, Ont.) scored her second goal of the season to give McMaster the 2-0 cushion they needed going into the second half.
Both teams would continue to get chances in the second to score, but it would be the Warriors to capitalize in the 65th minute. Waterloo would make a pass to the right sideline and find themselves on a 2-on-1 with just Leonardelli to defend the rush. Receiving a great pass, Kaitlyn Barnett (Kitchener, Ont.) would beat goalkeeper Brittany Duffey (Markham, Ont.) to get the Warriors back in it.
Both teams would put on the pressure in the final minutes of the game, but it would be the home team that prevailed, giving McMaster their seventh win of the season.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
October 7 – UOIT @ Windsor
The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s soccer team recorded their third straight shutout as they tied the University of Windsor Lancers 0-0 on Sunday.
UOIT has earned four shutouts in their last five games, as they have picked up three wins and a draw over that span.
Melissa Linton stopped 15 Lancer shots in the tie, as she has six shutouts this season.
UOIT is 5-5-3 this season and in a tie for fifth place with York University (4-1-6). The two teams will meet up on Wednesday at Vaso’s Field. Game time is at 6 p.m.
UOIT and York tied 0-0 in their first meeting this season.
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Ottawa @ Nipissing
The uOttawa women’s soccer team turned out another shutout performance on the road, defeating the last placed Nipissing Lakers 2-0 in their final road game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.
Second year striker Pilar Khoury lead the way for the garnet and grey, scoring both uOttawa goals. Her two tallies against the Lakers give Khoury 11 goals so far this season, a Gee-Gee and OUA East best.
Khoury’s first goal of the match came at the 36th minute after some choppy, back and forth play between the two teams. Khoury found herself in the right place at the right time when she received a rebound off Laker goaltender Kelly Dunk and made no mistake on the point blank shot.
The Gee-Gees wasted no time setting the tone for the second half though, scoring just one minute into the frame. First year striker Kayla Jones, who had a strong presence on the right side all game, came streaking down on the Lakers defenders and made a cross-crease pass that allowed Khoury to step into the ball with a powerful left foot strike that eluded Dunk.
The Lakers made a slight push towards the end of the game, but could not generate a strong enough attack to work their way onto the scoreboard. Gee-Gee goaltender Alexandra Girouard made four saves on her way to the shutout.
“We’re getting healthy and our defense continues to be solid,” said Gee-Gee head coach Steve Johnson. “We are facing different situations and different tactical challenges from every opponent, so I think it’s preparing us well for the final stretch and playoffs.”
The Gee-Gees will now return home for the remainder of the regular season, playing three more games on home turf before heading into the post season, something Johnson feels will benefit them.
“This is when the academic pressures become a little bit more difficult for the players, so the more time we spend at home preparing for the playoffs, the better off we will be,” said Johnson.
Next up for the garnet and grey is the Carleton Ravens, who will travel to Matt Anthony Field next Friday, October 12, at 6 p.m.
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
Ryerson @ Queen’s
The Queen's Gaels women's soccer team cruised to a 9-0 win over the Ryerson Rams at the West Campus Field, Sunday. The women played consistently strong throughout the game, with hat tricks by both Jackie Tessier (Winnipeg, Man.) and Brittany Almeida (Elginburg, Ont.).
The first of Tessier's three goals came in the 26th minute, and she followed up with another pair before halftime, in the 30th and 38th minutes, the third coming on a penalty kick. Brittany Almeida got her first of three just minutes after Tessier's third, and Monique Czaczkowski snuck a fifth in to get a 5-0 lead for Queen's before the interval.
In the second half, the Rams came out strong and Sarah Slattery had the visitors'' best chance to break the shutout, but they could not stop the Gaels from scoring four more, thanks to pairs of goals from Almeida in the 60th and 90th minutes, and Breanna Burton, who connected in the 80th and 91st minutes.
There was great communication between the women on both teams throughout the game and direction from both goalies, Madison Tyrell for Queen's, who made one save, and Bronwyn Clark for Ryerson, who made seven.
The Gaels (8-2-2) are currently in seconnd place in the OUA East Division with 26 points. The Gaels return to action on Saturday, October 13 at noon as they visit the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
Toronto @ RMC
RMC kicked off versus the Varsity Blues on Thanksgiving Sunday. Both teams had won on Saturday and were each looking to complete weekend sweeps.
It was the home side that opened the scoring taking the lead in the 13th minute. Second year Jocelyn Coe collected a cross from rookie Mireille Musca at the top of the penalty area. Coe cut inside and shot across the goal easily beating goalkeeper Sara Patrucci to give the Paladins a deserved lead.
The visitor’s levelled the match in the 26th minute as Jessica Fantozzi was sent in alone against RMC’s goalkeeper Olivia Clarke. Fantozzi placed her shot past Clarke who could not get down in time to keep the ball out.
The second half saw U of T take an increased number of shots, but Clarke was strong in goal for the Paladins.
The home side fell behind in the 78th minute as Lashawna Harper placed a shot past Clarke to take the lead. Despite RMC’s effort to equalize in the closing stages, Toronto would find their third goal in a scramble in the penalty area that kindly fell to Sarah Watling who cooly finished her chance.
A 3-1 final score leaves RMC in sixth place with four games to go, while Toronto moves into a tie for third place in the OUA East.
Source: RMC Sports Info
Waterloo @ Brock
The Brock University women's soccer team (1-9-0 OUA) dropped a 5-3 decision against the Waterloo Warriors (3-8-1 OUA) on a cold Sunday afternoon at home.
The Badgers came to play and answered in the opening minute of the game as Ali Palmer (Oakville, Ont.) scored on a rebound to put the Badgers up 1-0. This was her first goal of the season.
Less than four minutes later, Brock defender Sara Vitaterna (Niagara Falls, Ont.) buried a strike from outside the 18-yard box to take a 2-0 lead.
In the 19th minute, Waterloo's Adrienne Goldsworthy (Waterloo, Ont.) would bury a penalty shot for her first goal of the season, making it 2-1 Brock.
With five minutes to go in the first half, Badgers midfielder Lindsay Collison (Niagara Falls, Ont.) would score her first goal of the season as Brock led 3-1 at the half.
In the second half, Waterloo would take control of the game. Goldsworthy would have her best game of her university career as she added three unanswered goals in the 50th, 55th, and 60th minute finishing with a four-goal performance.
The Badgers would press for a tying goal, but could not answer. Warriors Rebecca Horst (Waterloo, Ont.) would add an insurance marker in the 87th minute to complete the comeback for the Warriors.
Brock outshot the Warriors, 10-8.
The Badgers will return to the pitch on October 10th, when they face off against the Guelph Gryphons on the road.
Source: Brock Sports Info
