Lakers Mlinaric, Rams Laborde-Ayres earn OUA Athlete of the Week honours
Burlington, Ont. – Ashley Mlinaric and Kyle Laborde-Ayres have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week for the period ending October 13, 2019.
Female Athlete of the Week – Ashley Mlinaric, Nipissing Lakers, Soccer
There was plenty for the Nipissing Lakers women’s soccer team to be thankful for this Sunday, but when it comes to their latest result on the pitch, they might owe an extra bit of thanks to Ashley Mlinaric (Mississauga, Ont.).
It was all Nipissing in their tilt with Trent this past weekend, as the Lakers barraged the Excalibur to the tune of five goals scored in their shutout victory. At the heart of the Lakers attack was Mlinaric, as she accounted for three of her team’s tallies. The rookie midfielder notched the opening goal in the 10th minute, before doubling her total before the end of the half. She would complete the trifecta just 13 minutes into the second half and help secure the decisive win for her squad.
It was the first career OUA hat trick for Mlinaric, who now leads the Lakers in goals with six on the year.
Male Athlete of the Week – Kyle Laborde-Ayres, Ryerson Rams, Soccer
For a second straight week, Kyle Laborde-Ayres (Scarborough, Ont.) made his mark on the pitch, now capturing Ryerson’s Male Athlete of the Week honours two straight times. But his latest efforts helped the Rams men’s soccer team do something no other group had done this season.
In the Rams' only game of the week, Laborde-Ayres potted two goals against the No. 2 ranked Carleton Ravens to help lift Ryerson to a 3-1 win. The victory put a stop to Carleton's unbeaten streak, as the Ravens had not yet lost this entering the match. Laborde-Ayres’ two goals, which opened the scoring in the 28th minute and doubled the lead just seven minutes later, also matched the entire number of goals Carleton had conceded to that point of the season.
The second-year forward now has four goals in his last three games and is becoming one of the league's most dangerous offensive threats for the perennial contenders.
