OUA Women's Soccer Roundup Aug 25-27
Aug 27
Guelph 1, Western 0
LONDON – The Guelph Gryphons women's soccer team faces a grueling start to the OUA season with its first four matches on the road. But the Gryphons haven't been fazed away from home. Guelph followed up a strong goalless draw in Windsor Friday with an impressive 1-0 victory over the Western Mustangs, thanks to a 70th-minute winner from rookie Kaylin Twardowski.
The Gryphons had to fend off the aggressive host Mustangs but they manufactured the decisive goal with excellent build-up play. Second-year midfielder Danielle Sauve sent a ball wide down the right channel to second-year striker Victoria Hinchliffe, who crossed it back to her teammate. Sauve unleashed a hard shot that Western goalkeeper Megan Girardi could not gather, leaving the trailing Twardowski to run into the area and deposit the rebound for the critical breakthrough.
With a desperate Western side looking to equalize, it was then time to defend. "We saw out the second half really well after the goal and held off a late Western rally," said Gryphons' coach Shayne Campbell.
Campbell described the match as a tale of two halves. The Mustangs came out flying and ultimately sent 14 shots towards goalkeeper Elizabeth Brenneman's net, seven of which were on target. But the Gryphons got better as the game wore on. "They stretched the field on us and were very dominant in the first half," said Campbell. "They had many good looks at goal but our defenders held strong, blocking several shots. It was great defending by our backline and Libby made some really good saves."
Guelph made adjustments in the second half and got a better foothold in the match. "We began to put more passes together and got forward a lot more," Campbell said.
Source: gryphonsathletics
Toronto 4, Laurentian 1
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team continued their hot start to the 2017 season with a convincing 4-1 victory over the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs Sunday afternoon (Aug. 27) at Varsity Stadium.
The win lifts U of T to a 2-0 record on the season and once again showcased their offence which now has seven goals over those two games. Blues fifth-year midfielder Nicki Parkes opened the scoring in the sixth minute as she converted a Daniella Cipriano cross with an outstanding header to put Toronto ahead 1-0. The goal marked Parkes second in as many days.
The Voyageurs responded quickly though as Brianne Rodrigue delivered a strong shot in the 14th minute to even the score at one apiece. However, the pinpoint crosses for Cipriano continued when she sent a perfect long corner to fifth-year defenseman Christine Mulligan who nailed the header in the 36th minute to put Toronto ahead 2-1 heading into the break.
In the 61st minute, Blues second-year midfielder Julia Gonsalves widened the gap when the ball found her foot during a scramble in front of the Voyageurs net, and Parkes added her second of the game in the 81st minute off a powerful shot to put the match away for good.
Second-year goalkeeper Stephania Turyk made three saves for the Blues, while Laurentian keeper Heather McGregor finished the afternoon with two.
The Blue and White will next hit the road where they will challenge the Ottawa Gee-Gees (Sept. 1) and Carleton Ravens (Sept 2) in the nation's capital. Kick off for both matches is set for 1 p.m.
Source: varsityblues.ca
UOIT 1, Ottawa 0
The defending OUA champion UOIT Ridgebacks claimed a 1-0 victory over the Gee-Gees to close out the opening weekend of OUA women's soccer regular season. The goal came in the 82nd minute of a tactical, tight match.
Victoria Savage made eight saves for the UOIT clean sheet, including one truly spectacular stop just before the Ridgebacks broke through for the score. Ottawa's Katerine Delev worked her way up the sideline and cut in for a powerful shot which looked destined for the back of the net until Savage made a two-handed diving stop.
Less than four minutes later, Cassandra Sribny flipped a pass over her head to Taijah Henderson to convert from in close.
"That was a tough battle. We can use it as a challenge," said Gee-Gees fifth-year Anika Littlemore. "We can use our strengths as a team to develop. To be honest, this team can go really far and we could see it in this game. We were so close and we're still kind of getting to know each other."
"We demonstrated a lot of good things today, we had good crosses and sometimes it just doesn't happen," Littlemore continued. "I think the mids did a good job, and Margot commanded the back line."
"We can remember that three years ago we lost to them at the beginning of the season and we took something from that," added Littlemore, referring to the 2014 season which saw Ottawa go on a 15-game winning streak following the season-opening loss at UOIT.
Source: geegees.ca
Carleton 6, Trent 2
OTTAWA, ON — Carleton's women's soccer team rebounded from their tough previous day's loss routing Trent in a 6-2 thrashing at MNP Park Sunday afternoon.
This marks the first time the Ravens have scored six goals since they did so back on Sept. 13, 2015, also against the Excalibur. Eight minutes in, the girls earned their first corner of the game and promptly took advantage of it. First-year defender Paige Boyle (Guelph, ON) was perfectly positioned for the cross and deflected the ball off the post into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Not even two minutes later, Boyle again found herself in the box, this time for a free kick. Aaliyah McPherson (Brampton, ON) took the kick and fired it up in front of the goalie right to Boyle who added her second goal of the game on a header. Continuing to dominate possession, the Ravens kept pressing in the Excalibur's half. After McPherson's corner was deflected back to her, she returned with a magnificent cross that was headed into the back of the net by Sarah Zutauren (Ottawa, ON).
Carleton's 3-0 lead was in jeopardy as Trent rejuvenated their offence with a few quality chances on net, but each were cleanly saved by Ravens goalie Rada Mintchev(Ottawa, ON). The Ravens seemed poised to increase their lead, but a point-blank shot was misfired to the side – though they wouldn't end up needing the goal in the end.
Time was winding down in the first half but Trent went on the offensive in one last attempt to gain momentum. Mintchev cleanly saved the Excalibur's first shot but the rebound was headed in by Abbey Pantusa, ending the first half 3-1. Trent picked up the second right where they left off, taking advantage of a fall by a Ravens defender. Haley Giles took the ball to the box and fired it just past the reach of Mintchev and off the post. With nobody to stop her, Giles tapped the ball in as the lead was cut 3-2.
Clearly dissatisfied with their lead, the Ravens immediately returned the favour as Melanie Hoekstra (Bowmanville, ON) speared the ball into the top left corner leaving the goalie helpless and giving Carleton a 4-2 lead. The team continued to control most of the second half but play went back and forth until the Ravens again found themselves down the line crossing the ball into the box.
Tori MacFarlane (Kars, ON) knocked in Carleton's fourth header of the game in the 68th minute. They added another in the 73rd at the foot of Alessandra Previte (Acton, ON), marking the 6-2 lead that would hold. Despite a strong offensive effort, particularly with set pieces, head coach Fred Juett said he'd ideally like to not give up as many goals.
"If you had told me at the start of the weekend we'd score nine goals and give up six, I wouldn't have believed it," he said. "We've got some things to work on but hopefully we can find some consistency." The Ravens' 6-2 win moves them to 1-1 on the season and they will look to keep their goal-scoring momentum heading into Friday's game against Ryerson.
Source: goravens.ca
Nipissing 1, Ryerson 1
The Ryerson Rams women's soccer team comes out of their opening weekend with an undefeated record after a 1-1 tie against the Nipissing Lakers. On the heels of their first season opener victory in team history against the Laurentian Voyageurs, the Rams are setting the tone for 2017.
Ryerson's offence would shine early in the first half with Alex Rodkin scoring just past the 20-minute mark to give the Rams an early lead. Jocelynn Brar would come close to putting the Rams up by two, but her shot went off the crossbar. The header rebound chance was denied by Lakers goalkeeper Jess Moran, one of her five stops. Late in the first half, after a Nipissing player was taken down in the box, Delaney Borsato was awarded a penalty kick and would tie the game at 1-1.
The second half saw a strong defensive presence from the Rams, denying a number of chances for the Lakers to take the advantage late in the game. Fourth-year goalkeeper Brittany Clendenan turned away a total of six shots to keep the game tied.
"[Clendenan] is solid, she's a great leader," says Ryerson Associate Coach Tina Cook. "She's one of our captains on the team so we know we can rely on her and we know that she'll be there for us when it counts."
As Ryerson heads to Ottawa to take on the Carleton Ravens on September 1st and Ottawa Gee-Gees on September 2nd, the opening weekend serves as a showcase of the new direction for the Rams.
"I think we've seen a few things that are easy fixes for us that we can just work on in training this week and be ready to go for next week," Cook says. "Overall it's looking good, it's a great start, and we're looking forward to just continuing to work to get everyone organized and get everyone to know each other and gel as the young team that we are."
Source: ryersonrams.ca
McMaster 2, Laurier 2
Dangerous on the offensive end, the Marauders were once again denied the full three points at home Sunday through defensive letdowns.
McMaster posted an identical score to that of their season opener a day earlier, battling the Laurier Golden Hawks to a 2-2 draw at Ron Joyce Stadium. Maila Carboni scored her second goal in as many days, while team captain Cassidy Davis also found the back of the net for the Marauders in the draw.
Laurier overturned a 1-0 deficit at the halftime break, scoring twice in the second 45 through Nicole Lyon and Mackenzie D'Andrade to salvage a road point. The first chance of the afternoon fell to the visitors, with Nicole Lyon gathering the ball at the edge of the McMaster box and scooping a dangerous drive just over the bar in the fifth minute.
Beginning to make their speed felt through the midfield, the Marauders saw their work yield its first real opportunity at goal when Ally Riganelli was sprung down the right wing, and fired a low shot that forced a save from Laurier's Ashley Almeida in the 10th minute.
A day removed from scoring in her team's season opener, Carboni enjoyed her first look at goal in the 23rd minute, latching onto a well-struck pass from Claudia Continenza and firing low, with Almeida once again equal to the task.
Six minutes later, Carboni would find her breakthrough, with Jade Smith squaring the ball to the oncoming Steph Roberts, who played Carboni through the middle and watched as the forward skipped past Almeida and slotted into the gaping net in the 29th minute.
The duo of Roberts and Smith nearly constructed a second goal just moments later, but Roberts' final ball was just too heavy for Smith to meet.
Carboni was thoroughly terrorizing the Laurier back line as the half wore on, and threatened to double her goal tally, and the Marauders lead, when she broke through the right wing yet again and forced another save from the busy Almeida. Dominant in possession in the first 45 minutes, the Marauders carried a 1-0 lead into the break.
Laurier found the equalizer 11 minutes after the restart, as Lyon was hauled down in the box to bring up a spot kick, and dutifully stepped up to convert it past McMaster keeper Deanna Persico in the 56th. But, just five minutes later, the Hawks found themselves on the opposite side of a penalty decision, as the Marauders retook the lead.
Riganelli managed to latch onto a deep cross at the far post, and was muscled to the ground to bring up the penalty, which captain Davis promptly dispatched past Almeida to restore Mac's lead at 2-1 in the 61st minute. The game slowed in the later stages, and victory looked likely for the Marauders, before a late defensive lapse proved costly.
Hawks midfielder Mackenzie D'Andrade carried the ball into the box and shrugged off a pair of would-be tacklers, turning and firing a rising shot that tipped off of the outstretched hands of Persico and into the Marauder net, levelling the match at 2 in the 86th minute.
NEXT UP: The Marauders head out on the road for a match in London against the Western Mustangs on Saturday, September 2.
Source: mauraders.ca
Waterloo 1, Brock 1
The Brock University men's and women's soccer teams took on the Waterloo Warriors at home Sunday afternoon. The Brock women recorded their second draw of the season while the men improved to 2-0.
To open the day, the Waterloo women got on the board first in the 19th minute, as Danielle Erb slid it past Brock starting goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolofor her first goal of the season.
The young Brock squad battled back and got the equalizer in the 62nd minute as Melanie Schouten drilled a free kick just outside the 18 yard box into the right hand corner to make it 1-1.
Spagnolo collected five saves for her second tie in as many games. Waterloo goalkeeper Mady McDonald added 10 saves in the draw.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Aug 26
Waterloo 2, McMaster 2
Twice pegged back after taking leads, the Marauders were left frustrated despite flashes of real offensive brilliance in a season-opening 2-2 draw against the Waterloo Warriors Saturday.
Second-year winger Jade Smith and third-year forward Maila Carboni had the goals for the Marauders on the afternoon, while Deanna Persico made two saves.The Warriors got goals from Ainsleigh Sedore and Danielle Erb en route to a well-earned road point.
The afternoon opened brightly for the Marauders, who created two quality chances inside the opening five minutes of the contest.
With Steph Roberts and Faye Stavropoulos both marshalling the ball well in midfield, Jade Smith was able to carve out an opportunity while marauding down the left wing, while Carboni bullied her way through the middle. Both missed the mark with their shots, but the threat was clear.
Waterloo created a scare of their own in the 13th minute, when a set piece bobbled into the box and was met by a Warrior forward, who narrowly blazed the shot over the bar. Smith's strong half continued when she lost her marker in the 16th and found herself alone in the box, but was denied by a sharp save by McDonald, who pawed the ball wide of her right post. The second-year winger was not to be denied, however, and responded to the setback with a sensational individual effort to construct the game's first goal in the 22nd minute.
Running at the Waterloo defence yet again along the left wing, Smith carved inside with the ball on her right foot and smashed a rising shot into the far corner of the net to set the Ron Joyce Stadium crowd abuzz. The crowd's elation was short lived, though, as the visitors levelled the match just six minutes later, when Ainsleigh Sedore managed to shrug off a would-be tackle and skip past the Marauders goalkeeper to bundle the ball home for 1-1.
Looking to retake the lead before the half, Carboni nearly accomplished as much when she turned into space and fired high in the 35th minute, forcing McDonald to be alert to the danger once again. It was the Marauders high-energy forward who broke the deadlock in the 61st minute, as Carboni pounced on the Waterloo back line to snatch the ball, and drilled a shot low and past McDonald for 2-1. Once again, McMaster's lead proved short-lived, as confusion at the back saw the Marauders concede cheaply.
Danielle Erb's cross from the right pinballed at the far post, last finding a Marauder before bundling into the McMaster net for 2-2 in the 68th minute. Smith and Carboni each enjoyed a final chance of real quality, but with no breakthrough forthcoming, the match ended in a deadlock.
Source: mauraders.ca
Ryerson 1, Laurentian 0
The Ryerson Rams women's soccer team began the 2017 OUA season on a high note as they opened with a 1-0 victory over the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday afternoon at Downsview Park.
The first half saw the Rams maintaining an advantage in possession over the more experienced Laurentian squad. Just short of halftime, third-year midfielder Alessia Carvalho continued her scoring ways from 2016 by scoring the eventual game-winner.
In the second half, Laurentian saw an increase in scoring chances, with a near goal turned away by fourth-year Ryerson goalkeeper Brittney Clendenan. She would turn away four shots total in the victory. Clendenan's save would prove to be the game-clincher.
"It's good to see that we can compete even though we're a younger squad. We still have the talent where we can keep up with people with more experience." - Alessia Carvalho
A victory over a Voyageurs team that features more experience than the young core of the Rams is a testament to the recruiting and preparation of the Ryerson staff.
""It feels good for us." Laurentian is a team that year to year, the last few years that I've been in the OUA playing against them, they've gotten better and better. They do have some veterans on that squad, so for us to be able to compete with them being a young team this year, it helps us a lot." - Associate Coach Tina Cook
Source: ryersonrams.ca
York 1, Windsor 1
Christina Morelli scored in the 90th minute to salvage a point for the York University Lions women's soccer team in a 1-1 draw with the Windsor Lancers in Windsor, Ont., on Saturday evening.
In a rematch of last year's OUA quarter-final, which Windsor won in penalty kicks, the two squads played another even contest. The Lions had eight shots on goal and the Lancers nine, with York goalkeeper Tamara Orlando and her counterpart at Windsor, Krystin Lawrence, both standing tall to make seven and eight saves, respectively.
The Lancers got on the board first in the 26th minute when Giulia Barile scored her first of the season to give the home team a 1-0 advantage. They carried that through the rest of the first half and nearly all of the second and seemed poised to earn the three points when Morelli netted her first of the year to steal the one point for her team.
The Lancers had two more shots on goal before the final whistle, but Orlando turned them both away. The Lions are now 0-1-1 on the season after opening weekend, while the Lancers recorded their second tie to begin the year and have two points.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Toronto 3, Nipissing 1
With two goals from fourth-year striker Chelsea Cheung, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team opened their 2017 season with an impressive 3-1 victory over the visiting Nipissing Lakers Saturday afternoon (Aug. 26) at Varsity Stadium.
The Lakers were first on the board with a strong finish from Andrea Young in the sixth minute to make it a 1-0 game early. However, a long bouncing pass in the 31st minute would put Cheung into a footrace with Nipissing goalkeeper Mykaela Volpe. Cheung won the contest of speed, tipping in her first goal of the match to even the score 1-1.
Then in the 56th minute, third-year defenceman Daniella Cipriano delivered a perfect cross to Cheung off a free kick as the efficient striker converted her second goal of the match and game-winner with an incredible header. Fifth-year midfielder Nicki Parkes would then add an insurance marker in the 85th minute as she delivered a rocket into the Lakers net to secure the victory.
Varsity Blues second-year keeper Vanna Staggolis finished the contest with two saves. Her counterpart, Volpe, ended the match with six saves.
Source: varsityblues.ca
UOIT 4, Carleton 3
OTTAWA, Ont. – UOIT's OUA title defence started out with a win over Carleton, but it did not come the conventional way.
After Taijah Henderson (Ajax, Ont.) and Cassandra Sribny (Pickering, Ont.) put the Ridgebacks up 2-0 in the opening ten minutes of the game, former Ridgeback Emily Copeland-Dinan stole the show.
Copeland-Dinan would score three goals in 24 minutes to stun the defending champions as the Ravens took a 3-2 lead into halftime. The Ottawa native has not been kind against her former team since transferring as she scored five goals in four matches.
After dominating possession in the second half, UOIT would eventually tie the game as Alyssa Nikkel (Toronto, Ont.) scored her first career OUA goal in the 68th minute.
Just one minute later, UOIT veteran Nicole Zajac (Ajax, Ont.) would complete the comeback recording her tenth career goal, finishing off a one-timer in the box.
Making her first career opening day start, Victoria Savage (Woodbridge, Ont.) made six saves in the victory. Yazmeen Jamieson stopped 10 of 14 Ridgeback shots on target.
The Ridgebacks have already bested their point total compared to the same road trip one year ago where they dropped a 3-1 decision to Ottawa and tied Carleton 2-2.
UOIT's home opener will take place on Saturday, Sept. 2 against Trent. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Source: uoitridgeblacks.ca
Aug 25
Brock 2, Laurier 2
To kick off opening day, the Brock women rallied right to the end and escaped with a 2-2 draw in front of 250 in attendance.
After a scoreless opening half, Laurier got on the board first as Nicole Lyon scored on a penalty kick in the 66th minute. Ten minutes later, the Golden Hawks took a 2-0 lead as Mackenzie D'Andrade beat Brock goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolo (St. Catharines, ON) for her first goal of the season.
The Badgers would look to put the pressure on in the final 15 minutes, and would cut the lead to one on a goal from rookie Ashley Harris (Niagara Falls, ON) in the 79th minute. With just two minutes left in regulation Bethany Kromer (Whitby, ON) would pick up a rebound and slide one past Laurier goalkeeper Ashley Almeida right on the goal line to even the game 2-2.
Spagnolo recorded eight saves in the tie while Almeida also collected eight saves.
Source: gobadgers.ca
Western 1, York 0
The York University Lions women's soccer team suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to the Western Mustangs in London, Ont., on Friday afternoon when rookie Giulia Geraci found the back of the net in the 80th minute. The win for Western was its first over the Lions since a victory by the same score in the regular-season finale in 2014.
The first half was a closely played affair, with the Mustangs holding a slight advantage. Western outshot its opponents 4-3 over the first 45 minutes but the game remained scoreless. The Lions held the advantage for the majority of the second half, outshooting the Mustangs 4-1. Their best chance came in the 78th minute when Yoana Peralta sent a shot high towards the corner, but Mustangs goalkeeper Megan Girardi made a fantastic save to keep the Lions off the board.
The save swung the momentum in the Mustangs' favour, and with the home side pressing Geraci notched the first goal of her OUA career to secure the win. Girardi was forced to make five saves in the contest to keep her team in it, while York counterpart Taylor Grant did not record any saves as Western's only shot on goal found the back of the net.
Source: yorkulions.ca
Guelph 0, Windsor 0
WINDSOR – The Guelph Gryphons women's soccer team enjoyed plenty of opportunity in their OUA season opener. And the effort was certainly there. But the Gryphons, despite registering 15 shots (nine on target), were unable to produce a decisive goal and had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the host Windsor Lancers at Alumni Field Friday night.
The new-look Gryphons (0-0-1), OUA quarter-finalists in 2016, looked hungry for goals in their first half of action this season. Guelph outshot the strong Lancers side 8-1 in the opening 45 minutes, forcing several saves from Lancers' goalkeeper Krystin Lawrence. Windsor would settle into the game offensively in the second half but Guelph still sent another seven shots Lawrence's way, to Windsor's six.
"I was very pleased that we created so many opportunities to score," said Guelph's first-year coach Shayne Campbell. "We were so close on several occasions. We take a lot of good things from that.
"We will have to convert those chances."
Campbell said the positive approach was a continuation of the successful pre-season for the Gryphons, when they allowed just a single goal in four exhibition matches. Guelph had at least three legitimate chances to score. Last year's OUA West Rookie of the Year Victoria Hinchliffe got behind the Windsor backline midway through the first half for a breakaway but her shot was denied by Lawrence. Early in the second half, third-year forward Hayley Howes struck the post. And about 10 minutes later, second-year midfielder Danielle Sauve cut a ball back to Ann-Carolyn Lang, who made beautiful contact but sailed the ball over the bar.
"The players executed what we asked," said Campbell. "Windsor is a good side and hard to break down. We did a good job and defended well.
"You leave and feel like you wanted more out of it but for a first game we played really positive. There's lots to build on and we're encouraged."
It was a quiet opening match for the Gryphons' veteran goalkeeper Elizabeth Brenneman. The fourth-year player was called on to make just a single save from the Lancers' eight total shots, resulting in a simple first clean sheet of the season.
Source: gryphonsathletics