Toronto, Nipissing looking for valuable victory in East Division race
North Bay, Ont. – With the Toronto Varsity Blues and Nipissing Lakers putting up similar records this season, going back-and-forth in their head-to-head matchups, and looking to make waves in the OUA’s East Division standings, this week’s Marquee Matchup, powered by Planters, has the potential to go either way once the whistle blows and this key contest gets underway.
After finishing with just four wins a season ago, their lowest total since the 2014-15 season, the Nipissing Lakers have already matched that in 2018 in what has been an impressive start to the season. Along with wins against the Carleton Ravens, RMC Paladins, and Laurentian Voyageurs, the Lakers have capped off their early season triumphs with both a draw and a victory against the no. 7 ranked team in the country – the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
In their most recent outing – a 3-1 win against the aforementioned Gee-Gees – the Lakers were able to capitalize early and often to hand Ottawa their first loss of the season. A goal from Kristen Farkas (Stoney Creek, Ont.) opened the scoring in the 20th minute, while a pair of markers from Madison Logan (Keswick, Ont.) was enough to spur Nipissing to victory and once again push their record above .500 for the season.
Looking to derail their momentum, however, is a Varsity Blues squad that also sits a game above the .500 mark on the year. After earning a draw in their first match of the season, Toronto reeled off three wins in a row to give them an early boost. Since then, however, the Blues have failed to register a victory; a three-game stretch they’ll certainly be hoping to address this weekend.
Amidst their up and down campaign, the Blues have seen strong contributions from a number of players. Among those who have stood out on the scoreboard for Toronto thus far are Natasha Klaisos (Unionville, Ont.), Chelsea Cheung (Toronto, Ont.), and Kristin Parkes (Sarnia, Ont.), each of whom have multiple goals on the season. The former two are no stranger to finding the back of the net; however, as they combined for 15 goals a year ago to rank as the team’s top two goal-scorers overall.
Boasting similarly established offensive talent, meanwhile, the Lakers have also been sparked by their leading scorers from the 2017 campaign. Andrea Young (Ottawa, Ont.), along with Logan, has paced the squad thus far with four goals apiece, after putting away 10 and eight, respectively, a season ago. Despite surrendering a total of nine goals apiece, therefore, both sides have the ability the flip the script offensively and give themselves a chance at the win each time they step on the field.
Looking to stand tall between the pipes to hinder these offensive efforts will be a pair of goalkeepers that have seen their fair share of action. In seven contests thus far, Nipissing keeper Mykaela Volpe (Whitby, Ont.) has turned away 60 shots on goal for a .870 save percentage, while Toronto’s Vanna Staggolis (Toronto, Ont.) has managed 39 saves and a mark of .830. Both goalkeepers have also earned a pair of clean sheets along their teams’ quest for victory.
While this will be the first time their quest brings them head-to-head this season, it was a tale of two games a year ago when these two teams crossed paths, once again leaving the door open for any result this weekend. The two sides met to open their seasons in 2017, and despite Nipissing opening the scoring just six minutes in, the Varsity Blues took the reins from there, netting three goals the rest of the way (Cheung (2), Parkes). In their rematch, however, the Lakers once again scored early, but also did so often. A hat-trick from Logan led the way, followed by single tallies from Delaney Borsato and Vanessa Rota, en route to their 5-1 victory.
This latest match is set to get underway on Sunday, September 23 at 12:00pm on the Nipissing University Soccer Field, and with the table being set for a competitive and captivating contest, the only thing left to determine is which side will give themselves the edge once the 90 minutes is up.
