AROUND OUA: Gee-Gees Score Early, Hold On to Defeat UOIT 1-0
Julia Francki's early header was the only goal that the uOttawa Gee-Gees needed on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the UOIT Ridgebacks, 1-0. The game was wet and the play was gritty, as both teams fought tooth and nail for every inch of turf at Matt Anthony Fiel
(Photo: Richard Whittaker)
SCOREBOARD
Julia Francki's early header was the only goal that the uOttawa Gee-Gees needed on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the UOIT Ridgebacks, 1-0. The game was wet and the play was gritty, as both teams fought tooth and nail for every inch of turf at Matt Anthony Field.
"It was a really tough, physical game," Head Coach Steve Johnson said minutes after his team won its fourth match in a row.
The Gee-Gees jumped off to a quick start when captain Julia Francki found herself in the right spot among a scrum of Ridgebacks defenders on a free kick. The ball was directed with enough force to send it past goalkeeper Helen Frampton in the sixth minute to give Ottawa the early lead.
The atmosphere throughout the entire contest was very fierce, with both teams throwing their bodies and limbs at one another to gain the physical edge. The Ridgebacks appeared to tie the game in the last minutes of the first half, but the referee called a hand ball on the Gee-Gees and blew his whistle before the ball crossed the goal line.
Johnson was happy with his team's overall performance, noting a continued improvement on the defensive side. "Our defensive line implemented exactly what we discussed in the morning video session," he explained. While the Gee-Gees allowed 13 shots on goal, most were kept to the outside perimeter.
Gee-Gees goalkeeper Cynthia Leblanc returned to action after a day off yesterday, stopping all 13 shots she faced. Her best save came off a free kick in the second half, when she tipped a strike with her fingertips that was heading for the bottom crossbar.
Frampton made 7 saves for the Ridgebacks.
The Gee-Gees move to 4-0-1 on the season, while UOIT falls to 2-2-0.
Ottawa returns to action next weekend on the road against both Nipissing and Laurentian. Both games are scheduled for 12 p.m. kick offs.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
Rams earn high scoring draw with No. 9 Voyageurs
SUDBURY, Ont. – The Ryerson Rams women's soccer team earned a hard fought draw against the CIS No. 9 ranked Laurentian Voyageurs in a high scoring 3-3 final in Sudbury on Sunday afternoon.
Ryerson midfielder Rebecca Arnott (Whitby, Ont.) opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead heading into the second half.
The second half would see the teams combine for five goals in an exciting 45 minutes of soccer.
Laurentian scored the first two goals of the second half to take a 2-1 lead in the 56th minute before Ryerson leveled the score when Soraya El-houni (Toronto) converted a penalty kick.
Two minutes later, the Voyageurs reclaimed the lead when Brianne Rodrigue finished to make it 3-2 Laurentian.
The Rams fought to tie the match once more and were rewarded in the 66th minute when Brittney Clendenan (Ottawa, Ont.) snuck behind the back line to even the score at 3-3. Normally a keeper for the Rams, Clendenan continues to nurse a broken wrist and instead played up front which paid off for Ryerson.
After five goals in 22 minutes, neither team could find a go-ahead marker down the stretch as the game ended in the draw.
Ryerson goalkeeper Bronwyn Clarke (Toronto) played all 90 minutes and made nine saves on 12 shots she faced. The Rams fired 13 shots on goal and Laurentian keeper Dina Mandolesi made ten saves in the tie.
Ryerson moves to 1-2-2 on the season and sit eighth in the OUA east division standings while Laurentian moves to 3-2-1 on the year and is tied for second place.
The Rams have a busy week ahead with their home opener against the UOIT Ridgebacks (2-2-0) on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Downsview Park Field #1. They will continue play on the weekend when they host RMC and Queen's on Saturday and Sunday.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Lakers hand Blues first loss of the season
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team fell 2-1 to the Nipissing Lakers on Sunday, September 13 in North Bay, Ont.
With the loss, the Blues drop to 3-1-1 and sit in a three-way tie for second place in the OUA East division.
Nipissing's Kristen Farkas opened the scoring in the 14th minute and the home team carried that one-goal lead into the half.
Selena Innamorati gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead off a penalty kick in the 75th minute, but the Blues answered back as Julia Gonsalves found the back of the net in the 81st minute.
Veteran goalkeeper Sara Petrucci made seven saves in the loss.
The Varsity Blues return to action this Wednesday, September 16 as they host the Trent Excalibur at Varsity Centre. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
(Ottawa, ON) – Carleton's goal struggle came to a halt this afternoon as the team was able to net six goals in a 6-1 victory over the Trent Excalibur.
Trent took control early in the game on a goal by Katie Steffler in the 10th minute of play. The goal came just minutes after Carleton hit the crossbar from a corner kick.
Christina Gogos (Oakville, ON) answered back quickly for Carleton in the 12th minute releasing a rocket into the net to even the score. Less than three minutes after, Trent had an open net but Sarah Zutrauen (Ottawa, ON) made to keep the game tied at 1.
The scoring continued for Carleton as Tori MacFarlane (Kars, ON) was able to sneak the ball past the keeper in the 19th minute for her second goal of the season. In the 39th minute, Abby Nicastro (Ottawa, ON) put another by the Trent goalie to increase the lead for Carleton by a score of 3-1.
As the halftime drew near, Tina Lacava (Markham, ON) netted her first of the game just minutes before the whistle blew to give Carleton the 4-1 lead.
Elizabeth MacDougall (Carleton Place, ON) proved again to be one of Carleton's best as she stood on her head for the victory. She came up with a few magical saves during the game to provide her side with excellent support.
The first goal of the second half came from 5th-year senior Veronica Mazzella (Sudbury, ON) after teammate Tina Lacava chipped the ball perfectly over the defender's head to give Mazzella a clear shot for the goal.
Lacava would score another late in the game in the 80th minute for her second of the season.
The team looks to continue their scoring streak as they head to Sudbury to take on the Laurentian Voyageurs next weekend.
Source: Carleton Ravens
Brock steals point in extra time against McMaster
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University womens soccer team (0-5-1 OUA) picked up their first point of the OUA regular season as they tied the McMaster Marauders 3-3 Sunday afternoon at home.
Brock opened the scoring eight minutes into the opening half as Olivia Schramowsky (London, Ont.) recorded her second goal of the season.
Just over ten minutes later, McMaster's Stephanie Roberts beat Brock starter Lauren MacCulloch (Welland, Ont.) to tie the game 1-1.
In the second half, the Marauders would take a 2-1 lead at the 54 minute mark, as Talia Merino-Sierra recorded her first of the campaign.
Brock rookie Laura Kirk (Mississauga, Ont.) evened the game in the 66th minute, as she drilled a shot over the hands of McMaster starter Laura Blackburn.
McMaster regained the one goal lead 3-2 in the 70th minute when Maureen Mai beat MacCulloch left side.
Late in the contest, the Badgers offense continued to apply pressure on the Marauders and in extra time Kirk buried home her second goal of the game for the tie.
MacCulloch registered six saves and Blackburn added four saves in the tie..
The Badgers return to action next Saturday, September 19th at 1pm when they host the York LIons as part of the 2015 Brock University Homecoming events.
Source: Brock Badgers
Lions defeat Gryphons to remain unbeaten
After a hard-fought game on home turf, the York University Lions women's soccer team earned a convincing 4-1 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 13) to remain unbeaten to start the season with a five-game winning streak.
The Lions didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard as just two minutes in, three-time OUA West all-star defender Shannon Wood (Brampton, Ont.) delivered a perfectly executed in-swinging corner kick. The ball snuck into the near post and the Lions were up one goal quickly.
The goals didn't stop there as the Lions continued to battle on to claim their second goal just before half. Receiving an assist by two-time CIS first-team all-Canadian Sarah Wong (Toronto), fourth-year defender Marilyn Grammenopoulos (Whitby, Ont.) slammed the ball into the back post to claim her first goal of the season for a 2-0 lead.
Heading into the second half, the goals kept coming as midfielder Sydney Hoareau (Brampton, Ont.) tucked the ball into the near post off of Wong's corner kick in the 54th minute. The goal was Hoareau's first goal as a Lion.
The Gryphons ended up sneaking a goal between the bars in the 87th minute from a long range effort by Danielle Canhoto, but the Lions quickly answered back with a spectacular individual goal by last week's CIS female athlete of the week, Kiyani Johnson (Markham, Ont.) in the 90th minute to round out the scoring.
The win improved the Lions' record to 5-0-0 on the year and they remain one of three teams in the OUA West with an undefeated mark on the year.
In the next few weeks, the Lions will be on the road, beginning with a game against the Brock Badgers on Saturday (Sept. 19) at 1pm in St. Catharines, Ont. Fans can catch the Lions back at home on Thursday, Oct. 8 when they take on their rivals, the Laurier Golden Hawks, beginning at 6pm.
Source: York Lions
Windsor splits opening weekend at home
The Lancer women's soccer team split their first pair of home games of the 2015 season. Windsor defeated the Waterloo Warriors 2-0 on Friday night, and narrowly fell to the #6 ranked Laurier Golden Hawks 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Windsor is now 2-4 on the season and sit in sixth place in the OUA west division.
In Friday's shutout win over Waterloo, the Warriors dominated the first half with three shots on net. Windsor regrouped at halftime and were more aggressive in the second half to aggravate the visitors.
Their determination paid off as Paiten Stephens opened the scoring for the Blue & Gold just five minutes into the half. The Lancers built a two goal lead less than 10 minutes later as Becca Feurth scored her second goal of the year.
A strong defense and some solid plays in net from Lancer goaltender Krystin Lawrence saw the Lancers maintain their shutout and earn the victory. Lawrence finished the game with five saves.
On Sunday, the nationally ranked Golden Hawks built a two goal lead in the first half before the Lancers got on the board.
Feurth cut the Hawks lead in half in the 55th minute with her second goal of the weekend. Laurier increased their lead just seven minutes later when the ball ricocheted off of their own Nicole Lyon in behind Lawrence.
Giulia Barile again brought Windsor within one in the 82nd minute but that was as close as they would get as Laurier took home the win.
Windsor will now host the Algoma Thunderbirds (0-4) next weekend at Alumni Field. The games will kick off at 1:00pm on both Saturday September 19th and Sunday September 20th.
Source: Windsors Lancers
Mustangs shut out Warriors to remain undefeated
LONDON, Ont. – A five-goal second half helped the Western Mustangs women's soccer team defeat the Waterloo Warriors 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at Mustangs Field.
"Credit to Waterloo, they were very good defensively in the first half and denied us many opportunities," said Western head coach Martin Painter. "Eventually you get tired, spaces open up, and it's really hard for anybody to defend for 90 minutes. Maybe [Waterloo] got a little bit tired, and we had some fresh legs we could bring on, which helped."
This win gives the Mustangs a record of 5-0-1, and they remain at the top of the OUA West Division. The loss puts Waterloo's record at 0-5-1.
With only one goal heading into halftime, the Mustangs came out strong in the second half. Amanda Boyle contributed the first goal, just over a minute in, and the goals kept coming from there. Lauren Winquist and Tianna Deluzio contributed two goals each, helping Western to tally five goals in the second half alone.
When asked about the first of her two goals, Winquist was quick to give credit to her teammates.
"I believe it was a cross from Amanda, and someone got a foot on it," said Winquist. "There was just a kind of scramble in front of the net. It was just on line. I tapped it in. It was a team goal, I would say."
The Mustangs may have been able to put the ball in the net numerous times in the second half, but the first half wasn't so easy. Western dominated much of the first 45 minutes, but they had difficulty getting past the Waterloo defensive line. The Mustangs persisted with lots of pressure when finally, in the last five minutes of the half, their work paid off. The Mustangs' pressure forced the Warriors' goalie and defense to lose the ball in their own end, and Stefanie Di Tella capitalized on the opportunity, scoring from just outside the 18 yard box.
Western took the momentum from Di Tella's late goal into the second half, where their efforts on offence paid off.
"I think getting a goal at the end of the first half helped. I think we started the next half with a lot of good energy," said Painter. "The first goal helped, but [we had] a little better energy, were a little more determined in the second half."
Up next, the Mustangs head to McMaster on Saturday, September 19 to face the Marauders at 1 p.m.
NOTES: The Mustangs defence prevented the Warriors from registering a shot on goal, giving keeper Tori Edgar her second shutout of the season…Sunday's win marks the second time in three years that the Mustangs have gone undefeated over the first six games of the season. Last year Western won their first five contests before falling to York in game number six, while in 2013 the purple and white remained undefeated throughout the entire regular season, compiling an 11-0-5 record…
Source: Western Mustangs