AROUND OUA: Ghoneim's marker stands as the winner in 1-0 victory over No. 6 Mustangs
The No. 2 nationally-ranked York University Lions women's soccer team edged out a 1-0 victory over the No. 6 Western Mustangs at York Stadium on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 18).
SCOREBOARD
Ghoneim's marker stands as the winner in 1-0 victory over No. 6 Mustangs
The No. 2 nationally-ranked York University Lions women's soccer team edged out a 1-0 victory over the No. 6 Western Mustangs at York Stadium on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 18).
The Lions have won all of their games except for one tie on the year (13-0-1), and it was against the Mustangs back in September. And with another match-up of nationally-ranked teams, the Lions were eager to redeem themselves with a win.
The first half saw an extremely aggressive contest in the middle third of the field as both teams struggled to cleanly get past the last lines of defence. The teams were neck and neck to close off the first 45 minutes.
Heading into the second half, the Lions seemed to have found new life, showing a lot of enthusiasm and ambition going forward. Their first opportunity arose in the 53Grd minute when Sarah Wong (Scarborough, Ont.) delivered a corner kick onto the head of Taylor Lyons (Brampton, Ont.), who nailed the ball into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed from a Lions' foul on the goalkeeper.
However, just a few minutes later, a similar corner kick opportunity developed and Nour Ghoneim (Aurora, Ont.) made no mistake in giving the Lions a 1-0 lead. Meeting the ball off of Wong's second corner kick of the game, Ghoneim climbed on top of a Mustang defender to get her 11th goal of the season.
As the half continued the momentum shifted and the Lions found themselves on the back foot, relying on their back line to keep them in the game. Luckily, Lions keeper Taylor Grant (Brampton, Ont.) and her defenders kept the Mustangs at bay with smart defensive play. Overall, Western had six shots on target and Grant saved all of them. She was a key component in the Lions' success of holding the lead.
Next week the Lions plan to finish off the regular season strong with back-to-back games against the winless Algoma Thunderbirds on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 24-25). Kick-off will be at 1pm on both days.
Source: York Lions
Brock sweeps weekend series versus Algoma
SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. - The Brock University women's soccer team extended their win streak to four games as they swept their weekend series against the Algoma Thunderbirds on the road. The Badgers won both games by scores of 3-0.
On Saturday, the Badgers opened the scoring in the 13th minute as Megan Salisbury (Hamilton, Ont.) added her first goal of the season.
Brock added two more goals in the second half as Brooke Boekestyn (Jordan Station, Ont.) added her 14th and 15th goals of her Badgers career.
On Sunday, Brock got on the board in the 29th minute as Sarah Krause (Brampton, Ont.) recorded her first career goal. At 35 minutes, rookie Rachael Daniels (Sutton, Ont.) also collected her first goal in a Brock uniform.
Salisbury would close out the scoring in the 71st minute as she contributed with her second goal of the weekend.
Brock rookie goalkeeper Lauren MacCulloch (Welland, Ont.) got the start in both games and turned aside all five shot she faced for her second and third shutouts of the season.
Source: Brock Badgers
Blues blank Lakers on home turf
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team defeated the Nipissing Lakers 4-0 on Sunday, October 18 at Varsity Centre.
With the win, the Blues improve to 7-6-1 and sit in fourth place in the OUA East division. The Lakers drop to 5-6-3 and sit seventh.
Toronto had a couple of early chances to score, including two nice challenges by rookie and leading scorer Natasha Klasios in the 17th and 24th minutes.
U of T did open the scoring in the 27th minute when first-year midfielder Lydia Wretlind notched her first career goal. The Malmo, Sweden native sent a header that went off goalkeeper Kelly Dunk and into the net.
The Blues had a great chance to go ahead by two in the 30th minute, but Nipissing defender Selena Innamorati came up with two saves to keep the game within reach.
Nipissing nearly evened the score in the 38th minute, but Tori Bellar's shot rang off the cross bar.
Veteran goalkeeper Sara Petrucci then came up with a big stop, challenging Lakers midfielder Shannon Russell in the 44th minute to preserve the one-goal lead at halftime.
The two teams traded chances to open the second half. Petrucci came up with a big save off a Nipissing free kick in the 60th minute. On the ensuing goal kick, Petrucci fired the ball down the field and third-year striker Brenda Murillo ran onto it, beating the Lakers defenders and slotting the ball off the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.
Toronto went ahead again in the 73rd minute as team captain Olivia Gonsalves sent a booming shot that ricocheted off teammate Alexandra Rigby and into the net.
U of T added one more in the 88th minute when Alexandra Rocha fed Vanessa Bucci the ball with a beautiful through ball. Bussi then split the Nipissing defenders and fired the ball low and into the net.
Petrucci made seven saves in the victory.
The Varsity Blues return to action this Wednesday night as they host the UOIT Ridgebacks at Varsity Centre. Game time is set for 6 p.m. It will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.
Toronto also honoured graduating players Sarah Gillett, Sara Petrucci and Olivia Gonsalves in a special pre-game presentation.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Rams knock off second plae Laurentian
TORONTO - The Ryerson Rams completed a six-point weekend with a big 2-1 victory over the second place Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon at Downsview Park.
With the win the Rams improve to 5-7-2 on the season and now sit just one point out of a playoff spot with two games remaining. The loss moves Laurentian's record to 8-4-2.
First year forward Maria Poveda (Mississauga, Ont.) opened the scoring in the 14th minute when she finished off a scramble in front of the Voyageurs net. Poveda, Alessia Carvalho (Newmarket, Ont.) and Hanna Park (Markham, Ont.) all had chances to net the opening goal before Poveda made good on her second attempt.
The Voyageurs tied the game on a corner kick set play that Catherine Rocca finished off in the 20th minute. The 1-1 score would hold at half time.
Ryerson's Park scored the game-winner in the 52nd minute for her second goal in as many days. She was able to get her foot on a loose ball with a gaping net after Heather Brown (Scarborough, Ont.) lofted a free kick from 50 yards out into the box.
The Rams look to stretch their winning streak to three games when they host the Trent Excalibur on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. at Downsview Park.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Gaels drop Trent, well-positioned heading into final week
PETERBOROUGH, Ont. (October 18, 2015)- The Queen's Gaels women's soccer team earned an important victory on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Trent Excalibur 3-1 on the road, leaving them in fourth-place in the OUA East division heading into the final week of the regular season.
The game began with a whirlwind of offensive action that involved three markers between the two teams in an eight-minute span. Jessie de Boer (North Vancouver, B.C.) scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season to open the scoring in the 11th minute for Queen's (6-2-6). The Gael advantage was short-lived, however, as the Excalibur (0-12-1) struck back just six minutes later to draw even on a tally by Kaitlin Logan. The visitors restored the advantage just a couple of minutes later, with Tianna Lombardo (Calgary, Alta.) notching her second of the season in the 19th minute. Micah Vermeer (Grimsby, Ont.) added a late-marker in the 90th minute to seal the Gaels sixth victory of the season and extend their unbeaten streak to six games.
The Gaels find themselves alone in the fourth-place position with just two regular season games left, two points up on the Toronto Varsity Blues and three up on Carleton, who hold the final playoff spot in the East. Queen's is just two points back of third-place Laurentian (8-4-2), and will have an opportunity to leapfrog the Voyageurs in their final weekend of the season at Miklas-McCarney Field next weekend.
Source: Queen's Gaels
Ridgeback offence explodes for eight goals
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT women's soccer team's offence needed a spark heading into the final week of regular season play and they managed to catch fire on Sunday scoring eight goals in a shutout win over the RMC Paladins.
Having been held of the scoresheet in their last three outing, UOIT knew it was just a matter of time before they regained their offensive prowess. Holding a 1-0 lead at halftime the Ridgebacks could not make a mistake over the next 45 minutes going on to score seven goals.
Alessia Mattucci (Thornhill, Ont.) and Katherine Koehler-Grassau (Greely, Ont.) scored two goals apiece, while Shynice Williams (Mississauga, Ont.), Jessica Mithrush (Thunder Bay, Ont.), Cassandra Sribny (Pickering, Ont.) and Taijah Henderson (Ajax, Ont.) all had singles.
Henderson's goal in the 82 minute was her first as a Ridgeback.
In goal, Helen Frampton (Toronto, Ont.) and Victoria Savage (Woodbridge, Ont.) shared time for the cleansheet. The Ridgeback defensive unit has been stingy as of late only allowing one goal against in their past nine games. With four goals against all season long, that is the lowest total of any team in the OUA.
The Ridgebacks (8-3-2) move back into a tie for second place in the eastern conference standings with Laurentian (8-4-2) while holding a game in hand.
UOIT will look to move in front of the Voyageurs with a mid-week game against the Toronto Varsity Blues (7-6-1). Game time at Varsity Stadium on Wednesday is 6 p.m.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Laurier earns their 10th win vs McMaster
WATERLOO, Ont. (October 18, 2015) - The No. 5 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women's soccer team kept their hopes of a first round playoff bye alive on Sunday thanks to a 1-0 win over the McMaster Marauders at University Stadium.
Nicole Lyon of Kitchener, Ont., scored what would prove to be the decisive goal in the contest in the 32nd minute. Finishing off some nice build-up play from the Hawks, Lyon spun and fired from the top of the box, beating McMaster keeper Cristina Abbatangelo of Maple, Ont., for her 12th goal of the season.
McMaster would push for an equalizer throughout the second half but Laurier's defence and goaltending held strong as they improved their record to 10-2-2 on the year.
Rookie netminder Ashley Almeida of Burlington, Ont., recorded her fifth shutout of the season as she finished with six saves to earn the victory.
Abbatangelo took the loss, stopping two of the three shots she faced.
Laurier's win, combined with a loss by the No. 6 Western Mustangs (10-2-3), pulls the purple and gold to within one point of Western for second place in the division. The Hawks now just need four points over their final two games to clinch the first round playoff bye as they hold a game in hand on the Mustangs and own the tiebreaker over their London rivals.
The Hawks will be back in action next Friday, October 23 when they host the Guelph Gryphons in their final home game of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at University Stadium.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Lancers earn four points in final road games
The Lancer women's soccer team held the No. 5 Laurier Golden Hawks to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night in Waterloo and earned a 2-1 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday.
Heading into their final weekend of competition, the Lancers are 6-8-1 on the year and in fifth place in the west division.
In what was a fairly even match, both Windsor and Laurier had three corner kick attempts in the contest while the Lancers held a slight edge in shot attempts, outshooting the host Hawks 15-14.
Goaltenders Krystin Lawrence and Ashley Almeida both earned clean sheets finishing the day with seven saves a piece.
Windsor and Waterloo would exchange goals in the opening half as Becca Feurth put away the game's opening goal into a gaping net at the 34th minute while Waterloo's Aysun Osmansoy answered for Waterloo in the 40th minute. Osmansoy's cross from outside the 18 yard box deflected in off a Windsor defender in behind Lawrence.
The Lancers would take the lead in the 51st minute on a goal by Jazmin Martin, her third of the season. The Warriors applied continuous pressure for the remainder of the match, but the Lancer defense did not allow them to tally the tying goal.
The Blue & Gold will now host the Western Mustangs in their final regular season game on Sunday October 25th at 1:00pm at Alumni Field. The Lancers will honour their graduating players in pre-game ceremony.
Source: Windsor Lancers
