W-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Play-off matchups are determined as regular season concludes
October 19 – York @ Waterloo
The York Lions blanked the Warriors in OUA women's soccer action, 3-0 on Friday afternoon at Warrior Field in Waterloo.
What was a shaky start for both teams, the Lions were able to find their legs after Waterloo dominated most of the first half with a goal in the 45th minute. Shannon Wood (Brampton, Ont.) fired home a volley after some nice passing by the visitors side inside the box.
Waterloo came out determined to even it up but it was the Lions who once again found the net as their star studded rookie forward Nour Ghoneim (Toronto) netted her 13th of the season at the 62nd minute mark.
The Lions would put away the black and gold with only two minutes remaining in the match as substitution Natalie Ghazalian (Toronto) headed home a corner kick to give her squad the 3-0 win.
Warrior keeper Lesia Bandura (Kitchener, Ont.) stopped five of eight shots faced while Sarah Fiorini (Newmarket, Ont.) was only forced to make three saves for the shutout.
Waterloo wrap up their season at home on Sunday against the visiting Guelph Gryphons. Game time is set for 1pm at Warrior Field.
Source: Waterloo Sports Info
Queen’s @ Ottawa
The uOttawa women’s soccer team wrapped up their regular season at home on Friday night, playing to a 0-0 draw against Queen’s in a back and forth game that came down to the wire.
The Gee-Gees outshot and out-chanced the Gaels in the game, but were unable to convert on any of their eight scoring chances. Queen’s goaltender MadisonTyrell stopped everything that came her way, registering the shutout.
The majority of the game was played in a fast paced, back-and-forth style. With tensions high from the beginning of the game, both teams exchanged physical play and free kick opportunities.
“The quality of the opposition was much better, so we were forced to play a little bit more defensive,” said Gee-Gees head coach Steve Johnson. “I think we held the edge territorially, but we didn’t create enough good opportunities ourselves.”
Veteran striker Christine Hardie registered three shots in the game, leading a Gee-Gees offensive attack that never appeared to settle into rhythm.
“The pace of the game was played a little too high,” said Johnson. “We played too frantic at parts, and I think what we need to do is try to find opportunities to settle down and control the ball more than we did.”
With the result, the Gee-Gees exit the regular reason in first place, having not suffered a loss and giving up only one goal against all year.
But the more important season is just beginning, something the Gee-Gees are well aware of.
“There is still a lot of work to do,” said Johnson. “We didn’t create enough opportunities here against a quality opposition, so despite scoring a lot of goals in the past couple of weeks, it shows that we still have a lot of work to do.”
The garnet and grey will have a little more than a week to work on those imperfections. Their next game is the OUA East semifinal on Sunday, October 28, at 1 p.m. The game will be on Gee-Gee home turf at Matt Anthony Field.
“In the long run, we’re still a long way away from our final goal,” said fourth year striker Krista Draycott. “This season has been great preparation for the playoffs, but we still have a long road ahead of us and we’re on the right track.”
Source: uOttawa Sports Info
October 20 – Nipissing @ Toronto
The Varsity Blues women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with the Nippising Lakers on Saturday, October 20 at Varsity Centre.
With the tie, the Blues remain in third place with a 9-3-3 record.
Despite being a close game, it seemed that the Blues had momentum throughout the entire match. This was highlighted when rookie striker LaShaunna Harper (Toronto) was able to find Mississauga, Ont., native Aisha Lewis with a beautiful cross pass to open up the scoring in the 14th minutes.
The Blues continued to press with their aggressive offence, outshooting the Lakers 10-3 throughout the entire game. With solid defence and another superb goaltending effort from Sara Petrucci, it appeared that the Blues had the game in hand.
The Lakers came back to even the score when Kelly Dunk found a way past Petrucci in the 54th minue. The Blues had several chances to pull away, but failed to capitalize on their opportunities resulting in a 1-1 deadlock with the last-place Lakers.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
Laurentian @ Ryerson
Shut out for a sixth straight match, the Ryerson women's soccer team lost 2-0 to the Laurentian Lady Vees on Saturday afternoon at Birchmount Stadium.
The Rams (1-13-1) scoring drought continued, but Kevin Souter's club spent more time in the opposition's third than they had against Toronto last Sunday.
"I don't think it was a 2-0 game," he said. "I thought we played well in a lot of spells of the game. Again the big issue, and with a young team, is we're conceding soft goals and not being dangerous enough in the final 25 to 30 yards."
Souter liked his teams compete level Saturday, something he thought they lacked in the first half against Toronto.
"I thought the girls worked hard," he said. "They were physical, they were getting frustrated, angry and stuck in. That's the type of mentality we like. We have to take it personally, I thought we did that to a certain extent."
Laurentian's leading scorer, Lisa Watson, scored the eventual game-winner in the 24th minute. The Vee's most dangerous player made no mistake with a clear shot inside the 18-yard box, burying top corner past Bronwyn Clarke.
Renee Jacques scored Laurentian's second goal in the 75th minute.
The Rams haven't found the back of the net since Sept. 29 and frustration has set in. Hanec, who is tied for the team lead with two goals, says getting more support up front and having more options to dish the ball will need to be addressed next season.
However, Hanec is in her fifth-year of eligibility and tomorrow is her last game as a Ryerson Ram.
"It's been sinking in all season," Hanec said. "It's been a hard last season for me. Every game I play just as hard and tomorrow every minute is going to be a fight. So I am focusing on that and the enjoyment I get from that."
Sunday's game against Nipissing will be the last for all of the senior players and the Rams want to send them out on a winning note. They've already got a result against the Lakers with a 2-2 tie earlier this season.
"It's a good game for us to get a good send-off and finish our season on somewhat of a high," Souter said.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Guelph @ Laurier
Hosting their penultimate game of the season, the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier women's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against the Guelph Gryphons at Alumni Field.
The tie kept Golden Hawks in first place in the OUA West Division with the Western Mustangs trailing by just a single point.
On Saturday afternoon, the Golden Hawks fell behind in the first half, with Breanna Hall of Ottawa, putting the Gryphons ahead 1-0 in the 26th minute. Laurier outshot Guelph 5-2 in the first half but they were unable to get the ball past Guelph goalkeeper Alexandra King of Ottawa, who made nine saves in the game. Katrina Ward of Surrey, B.C., made five saves in net for the Golden Hawks.
Laurier was finally able to level the scoring in the 64th minute when leading scorer Emily Brown of Waterloo, Ont., scored her 14th goal of the season, which has her tied for the most goals in the OUA. The Hawks continued to put the pressure on Guelph, but they could not solve King a second time.
The Golden Hawks (10-2-3) will play their final game of the regular season at home on Sunday against the York Lions (8-1-6) who sit third in the OUA West standings. The Golden Hawks control their own fate going into the playoffs, if they defeat the Lions they are guaranteed the top seed in the OUA West. A draw will also guarantee the Hawks a bye in the opening round of the postseason.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
McMaster @ Windsor
In the last weekend for regular season soccer games, the McMaster women's team earned a much needed win over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday afternoon. This marks the Marauders ninth win of the season.
Veteran Tara Dawdy (Burlington, Ont.) would continue to have her most successful season as a Marauders, scoring her seventh and eighth goals in the first half of the game. Her first came in the 19th minute and she would put another shot through the posts in the 34th minute of the match. Her eight goals place her in the top ten scorers in the OUA.
In the second half, the Lancers would get revenge and play catch up as they would beat goal keeper Jocelyn Wilkins (London, Ont.) twice. The first came in the 53rd minute and Bridget Jeffray (Goderich, Ont.) would get the second of the day in the 66th minute.
All tied up at two, it would take until the final minute of the game for Mandy Hsieh (Toronto) to make her mark on the game, scoring the game winning goal for McMaster. This was Hsieh's first goal of her Marauder career.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
Western @ Brock
The Brock University women's soccer team (1-14-0 OUA) lost to Western (10-3-2 OUA) in their final home game of the season on October 20 by a score of 2-0.
Both teams were struggling to put forward a consistent offensive attack with sloppy conditions being a clear factor early. The first half saw the Badgers playing defensively while getting used to the slippery field but the momentum began to shift in the final ten minutes.
Unfortunately for Brock, the Mustangs were able to take advantage in the added time before the end of the half. Lauren Winquist would score her team leading 9th goal of the season to put Western ahead by a score of 1-0.
In the second half of the game, the Badgers would have a number of opportunities that they could not capitalize on. Melissa Giancaterino (St Catharines, Ont.) had a solid game up front giving her team a few opportunities but she could not find the back of the net.
Twenty minutes into the half, Jenna Schroeder would put the Mustangs up by two, which proved to be enough to help move Western into second place in the West division.
Source: Brock Sports Info
October 21 – Laurentian @ Toronto
The Varsity Blues women’s soccer drew the Laurentian Lady Vees 3-3 on Sunday, October 21 at Varsity Centre.
With the tie, the Blues finish the season with a 9-3-4 record in third place in the OUA East division and will host the sixth-place RMC Paladins (5-9-1) this Wednesday, October 24 in OUA playoff action at 6 p.m.
Third-year striker Aisha Lewis of Mississauga, Ont., scored all three of Toronto’s goals in the match.
The first half of the match saw both teams’ defences working to keep their side in the game. The Lady Vees opened the scoring on a goal by Lisa Watson (Newmarket, Ont.) in the 33rd minute. Lewis answered back for the Blues with a goal off a Diana Esteireiro corner kick in the 40th minute.
Laurentian responded one minute later with a goal by Crystal-Ann Hackett (Mississauga, Ont.), putting the Lady Vees ahead 2-1 at the half.
Lewis tallied two quick goals in the first four minutes of the second half to give the home team a 3-2 lead. The Lady Vees continued to pressure, finally scoring the equalizer when Julie Lopez (Ottawa, Ont.) found the back of the net in the 88th minute.
The Varsity Blues honoured graduating players Kendra Benedict and Mel Bowen in a special post-game ceremony.
Source: Toronto Sports Info
RMC @ Carleton
The Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team will head into the playoffs on the back of a two-game winning streak after they put on another impressive display this afternoon at Ravens Field, striking early and often en route to a 5-2 victory over the Royal Military College Paladins.
After finding the net six times last weekend, the Ravens still had plenty of goals in the tank to pick up the three points and finish the campaign with one more win than they managed last season.
Striker Nicole Filipow gave the Ravens the lead early in the contest, and it looked as though the home side were going to cruise to an easy victory. But the Paladins made sure that their hosts had to work for the victory.
With their first attempt on goal in the 15th minute, the visitors tied the game at one as defender Adelaide Fearnley found herself unmarked inside the penalty area from a corner kick. With time to take the ball down, the third-year defender poked the ball into the top corner beyond Ravens goalkeeper Rachel Bedek, and the Paladins’ bench erupted.
Despite dictating play for the rest of the half, it looked as though the Ravens would go into the break all square.
That was until standout midfielder Veronica Mazzella brought the crowd to its feet with a stunning go-ahead goal just before the half-time whistle.
The Sudbury, Ont. native received a short pass just outside the Paladins’ penalty area and unleashed a powerful, curling left-footed effort into the top corner of the net.
If that goal wasn’t enough to deflate the visitors, then striker Adrianna Ruggiero – who came into the game to start the second half – scored three minutes after her introduction to effectively put the result beyond doubt.
“That [goal] was important, because at 2-1 we needed to score a few more and when we did that we could relax and start to go at them,” Ravens head coach Alex McNutt said following the match.
Ruggiero and striker Sarah Royer would close out the scoring for Carleton, who did concede once more right before the final whistle.
“We need to be a little bit sharper defensively and in attack as well to be able to do it in the playoffs, but they’ve raised their game in key moments this season when we’ve needed to show character, so I think they’ll do well in the playoffs,” McNutt said.
By virtue of Laurentian’s 1-1 draw with the University of Toronto this afternoon – a match that finished while the Ravens were still in action – Carleton will now begin those playoffs with a trip to Sudbury for a quarter-final match with the Voyageurs this Wednesday.
Home-field advantage is widely heralded as a critical factor for playoff success, but don’t tell that to McNutt, whose team collected three more points on the road than they did at home this year. Despite not being able to secure a home playoff match, he is “confident” the team can still “go out and get a result.”
The Ravens dropped both of their meetings with the Voyageurs during the regular season; losing 1-0 at home in early September before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat in the most recent contest between the two sides on Oct. 7th.
But once again, that is not going to discourage the Ravens head coach.
“From the first game I don’t think we need to do too much differently, we were fairly dominant in terms of possession and I felt like they stole the points, so we felt hard done by here. At their ground it was a fairly even game and they ended up with a 2-0 win and again we felt like we were at least good for a draw,” he said. “Revenge is sweet so maybe the third time will be lucky for us.”
Source: Carleton Sports Info
Nipissing @ Ryerson
The Ryerson women’s soccer team ended their season with a 4-0 loss to the Nipissing Lakers Sunday afternoon at Birchmount Stadium.
“It was disappointing,” head coach Kevin Souter. “They out-fought us, out-worked us, and out-muscled us. To lose (4-0) the way we did today, it was really disappointing.”
The Rams (1-14-1) were unable to score on the Lakers (1-11-4), marking the seventh consecutive game they were shut out. The lack of offence was the prevailing storyline throughout the season.
“That really was the season in a nutshell,” Souter said. “Clearly not where we needed to be. We need to stop conceding goals and start scoring goals; it’s as simple as that. It’s my job to fix this year. The positive note is that the only way is up.”
The Rams head into the offseason looking to address the lack of offence that led to the one-win season. Souter says he looks for the young team to make physical and mental strides during the offseason and that the team will be looking for new recruits as well.
The Lakers picked up their first win of the season to finish in eighth place, bumping the Rams to last place. Kelly Dunk opened the scoring in the 37th minute, beating goalkeeper Bronwyn Clarke to the ball before chipping it over her. Stefani Giftopoulos (55th and 90th minute) and Emma Persi (76th) rounded out the scoring for Nipissing.
Sunday was the final game for graduating seniors Elyse Hanec, Michelle Resendes and Kristen Horgan Smith. The three were honoured after the game for their service to the Ryerson soccer program with commemorative plaques and a bouquet of flowers.
“They’ve made a massive contribution over the years,” Souter said. “I hope they remember the good times. They’ve left their mark on this program, they’ve left a mark this season and over the years.
“We hope they are always a part of this family, we welcome them always with open arms. We hope that they continue to support the Rams and friends throughout the years.”
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
Trent @ Queen’s
After playing to a scoreless draw with the No.1-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, the No. 9-ranked Queen's Gaels cruised to a 6-0 win over the Trent Excalibur in their final game of the OUA regular season in women's soccer action at West Campus Field on a windy Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Gaels finish the regular season with an overall 11-2-3 record and clinch second place in the OUA East Division.
Going into their final game of the regular season against the Excalibur, all the Gaels needed was a point to clinch second place in the OUA East Division and bye into the OUA Quarter-finals.
Determined to secure the second seed, the Gaels came out strong in the first half, but couldn't a buy a goal, despite eight shots on net in the opening 43 minutes of action. The Gaels would finally get their break with two minutes left in the first half, as Brittany Almedia (Elginburg, Ont.) finally put one in the back of the net on the cross from teammate Riley Filion (Alexandria, Ont.). One minute later, the substitution for striker Kayla Crnic (Milton, Ont.) paid off as Crnic was left alone in the box and she made no mistake putting it past the Trent goalkeeper, to put the Gaels up 2-0. The two back-to-back goals in the final two minutes of the first half gave the Gaels a comfortable lead going into the break.
But the Gaels did not settle there. Queen's would extend the lead, scoring three goals in the span of five minutes early in the second half. A string of good passes got the offence started for the Gaels, as Crnic put it through to Filion, Filion to Almedia, and Almedia who would tap it in for her second of the game in the 54th minute, 3-0. Three minutes later, Filion would get her own after collecting two assists earlier, as she fired a rolling rebound from outside the eighteen right passed the goalkeeper's head to make it 4-0 for Queen's. Two minutes later, Jennifer Siu (London, Ont.) made it five goals for the Gaels, 5-0. Queen's would add one more secure goal in 71st minute, giving Almedia her hat trick and she led the Gaels to a 6-0 win over Trent.
The Gaels outshot Trent 23-5. Almeida, who led the Gaels with three goals, received game MVP nods for the home side. The hat trick gives the first year striker 10 goals on the year, good for sixth in scoring in the league.
Of the positive signs for the Gaels was the comfort level of left-back Melissa Jung, playing her first game after missing the entire season with a leg injury. Jung provided the Gaels with the attacking style of play from the back that the team missed.
Gaels goalkeepers Sabrina Carew (Thunder Bay, Ont.) and Rachel Burton (Toronto, Ont.) combined for five saves in the shutout win.
Trent goalkeepers Emily Webb and Karlie O'Grady eight and nine saves, respectively. Defender Emily Larkin received the MVP nod for the Excalibur.
The win over the Excalibur secures the Gaels second place over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (9-3-4) in the OUA East Division and gives Queen's a first-round bye to the OUA Quarter-final that they will host next Sunday, October 28 at West Campus Field.
Notes: With the six goals scored on Sunday, the Gaels win the scoring title for the 2012 regular season. Queen's scored 55 goals this season, more than any other team in CIS women's soccer.
Source: Queen’s Sports Info
York @ Laurier
With a first round playoff bye on the line, the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's soccer team (11-2-3) defeated the visiting York Lions (8-2-6) by a score of 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.
With the victory, Laurier clinched the top-seed in the OUA West Division for the third season in a row and earned a home playoff game in the OUA Quarter-finals.
In a battle between two of the top team in the OUA this year, neither team managed to find the scoresheet in the opening 45 minutes of play. However, early in the second half, Laurier broke the deadlock when Emily Brown of Waterloo, Ont., scored her 15th goal of the year to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Both teams would continue to generate scoring chances throughout the remainder of the second half but both goaltenders held their ground giving the purple and gold the 1-0 victory.
Katrina Ward of Surrey, B.C., stopped all seven shots directed her way to earn her fifth win and fourth shutout of the year. Sarah Fiorini of Newmarket, Ont., was given the loss after making six saves.
With her second half tally, Brown overtook Queen's Jackie Tessier of Winnipeg, to win the OUA scoring race. The second year forward now has scored 24 goals in 30 career games.
Source: Laurier Sports Info
Guelph @ Waterloo
The Gryphon women’s soccer team finished off their 2012 regular season with a 1-0 win over the Warriors on Sunday in Waterloo.
The Gryphons qualified for the playoffs with an 8-3-5 record.
Alexandra Harriss (Dundas, Ont.) scored the game-winning goal for the Gryphons at minute-74, and Alex King earned the shutout, stopping three shots.
The Gryphons will now advance to an OUA West quarterfinal game against the York Lions this Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Guelph finished the season fifth in the OUA West while the York Lions were fourth. During the regular season these teams split both their outings with finals of 1-1.
Source: Guelph Sports Info
Brock @ Windsor
The Brock University women's soccer (OUA 1-15-0) team finished their 2012 OUA season with a 3-0 loss against the Windsor Lancers (OUA 2-10-4) Sunday afternoon on the road.
Brock was caught short in the first half as the Lancers Alyshia Phillips (Windsor, Ont) opened the scoring in the 6th minute firing a shot past Brock goalkeeper Luciana DiPaolo (Newmarket, Ont.).
Philips would break past the Badgers defense again in the 33rd minute as she scored her second of the season to make the score 2-0 for Windsor.
In the 60th minute, the Lancers Gader Sobh (Windsor, Ont.) added an insurance marker registering her second goal of the season.
In goal, DiPaolo recorded three saves in the loss, while Windsor's Tara Benard-Raeher collected three saves for the shutout victory.
The Badgers, who will graduate five starters from the 2012 roster, will begin to rebuild for next season.
Source: Brock Sports Info
