M-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Ridgebacks move into a playoff spot with third straight win
Friday, October 10
Algoma 1 @ Guelph 4
Guelph, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team played the Algoma Thunderbirds Friday at home at the Gryphons Soccer Complex. The 4-1 final moves the Gryphons to a season record of 7-2-3. Guelph dominated the play and finished the first half with a score of 3-0 and a hat trick for Jared Agyemang Brampton, Ont.)
From the beginning of the game, Guelph controlled much of the play. Starting centre Zachary Rushe (Mississauga, Ont.) contributed in pushing the play into Algoma's net, and defender Justin Springer (Burlington, Ont.) contained the play in the offensive end. Jared Agyemang (Brampton, Ont.) scored the first goal on a breakaway during the fourth minute of the game, quickly followed by another in the seventh. The Gryphons utilized a different strategy, passing the ball more up the sidelines thanks to defender Stephen Veenema (Ottawa). Algoma was able to score their only goal on Gryphons keeper Braden Taylor (Oakville, Ont.) in the 22nd minute after an initial save, but Agyemang recovered the lead a few minutes later with another breakaway goal.
In the second half, Guelph continued to control the majority of the play and keep the action in Algoma's end. Timothy Flynn (Scarborough, Ont.) worked hard to push the play to the net, and halftime substitution Estevan Carles applied offensive pressure to the Thunderbirds. Flynn's efforts were rewarded by a goal in the 88th minute after several opportunities in the second half, bringing the final score to 4-1.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Waterloo 2 @ Laurier 4
WATERLOO, Ont. (October 10, 2014) – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's soccer team snapped their six-game losing streak on Friday night with a convincing 4-2 win over the Waterloo Warriors at University Stadium.
The Hawks came out flying in this incarnation of the Battle of Waterloo as they fired 11 shots towards the Warriors goal in the opening 45 minutes. They would be rewarded twice for their efforts as Nikola Miokovic of Kitchener, Ont., and Joren Ramsay-Marshall of Brampton, Ont., found the back of the net to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead at the half.
Laurier would increase their advantage to three goals just five minutes into the second half when Donald Chmura of Waterloo, Ont., scored his first goal of the season.
Despite the deficit, the Warriors showed some life late in the match. In the 76th minute, Nicholas Rebeiro of Bolton, Ont., ruined the shutout bid of Hawks keeper Julien John of Oakville, Ont., and just three minute later, Nicholas Karavanas of Markham, Ont., cut Laurier's lead to just one.
However, in extra time, the Hawks put the game out of reach when Tyrrel Wilson of Hamilton, put home his seventh goal of the year to round out the scoring.
John earned his third win of the year as he made six saves on the night while Anthony Spanopulis of Waterloo, Ont., took the loss for the Warriors, stopping four shots.
The victory improved Laurier's record to 4-8-2 on the season and moved them one step closer to clinching a playoff spot. The Hawks are six points up on the Brock Badgers (1-7-5) and any combination of a Brock loss or a Laurier victory will wrap up the sixth and final playoff spot in the OUA West division.
As for the Warriors, they fall to 1-11-2 on the year.
Up next for the purple and gold, they will close out the home portion of their regular season schedule against the Guelph Gryphons (7-2-3) on Wednesday, October 15. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at University Stadium.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Saturday, October 11
Algoma 1 @ Guelph 16
Guelph, Ont. – The Gryphon men's soccer team scored 16 goals on Saturday afternoon in one of the most lopsided games in school history. Four different Gryphon players recorded hat tricks en route to a 16-1 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds. The Gryphons swept the double-header with Algoma after having recorded a 4-1 victory on Friday.
With some beautiful fall weather and a good crowd on hand at the Gryphon Soccer Complex, the Gryphons put on an offensive display for the ages. Michael Bijman (Brantford, Ont.), who is usually not known for his scoring touch, had already completed his hat-trick by the 21st minute of the game. The best of Bijman's three goals was his first, which was a beautiful, curling strike that found the top corner.
Jared Agyemang (Brampton, Ont.) out-classed the Algoma defenders racking up four goals on the day, while Josh Seguin (Niagara Falls, Ont.) and Estevan Carles (Barrie, Ont.) each finished with three goals in the blowout. Owen Botelho (St. Catherine's, Ont.) and Ethan Danielli (Guelph, Ont.) rounded out the scoring for the Gryphons who improve to 8-2-3 on the season. The Gryphons will now make the short trip to Waterloo for a Wednesday (October 15) afternoon kickoff at Laurier. Guelph beat Laurier 2-1 in their meeting earlier this season. Game time is set for 2pm at University Stadium.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
Laurentian 4 @ UOIT 0
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT men's soccer team earned their second straight victory as they blanked the Laurentian Voyageurs 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.
The Ridgebacks (3-6-4) trail Laurentian (4-7-2) and Nipissing (3-5-5) by a single point for the final two playoff positions in the OUA eastern conference. The win for UOIT sets up a showdown on Sunday afternoon as the Ridgebacks host the Lakers at the Civic. Game time is 2:15 p.m.
UOIT wasted little time to get on the scoreboard on Saturday as defender Cody Kraemer (Whitby, Ont.) scored his first career OUA goal just two minutes into the contest. Thirty minutes later, Alexander Cuccovillo (Ajax, Ont.) would break out of his scoring slump as he put the Ridgebacks ahead 2-0.
In the second half, the Ridgebacks continued to find the back of the net as freshmen Curtis Apeah (Mississauga, Ont.) and George Meditskos (Toronto, Ont.) each scored in the final ten minutes of the game. For both players, it was their first career OUA goals.
Travis Martin (Whitby, Ont.) went on to earn his second cleansheet of the season. UOIT would outshoot Laurentian 8-7 in the win.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Brock 2 @ Windsor 2
In their final two regular season home games, the Lancer men's soccer came up short against McMaster after drawing a 2-2 tie against Brock on Saturday.
After a scoreless first half, Brock takes the first lead of the game just three minutes in with a goal from Aquan Morgan.
Windsor's Chris Lanni tied the game in the 56th minute before Jumbo Iyowuna found a hole in a sea of Badgers to put the Lancers up by one.
Windsor held a one goal lead over the Badgers heading into injury time at the end of the match. Badgers goaltender Jake Sweetzer came out of the net to take a corner kick in the Lancer end, which was knocked into the Windsor net by Phil Keely to tie the game on what turned out to be the final play of the game.
On Sunday, a number of injuries and suspensions cause the Lancers to start a number of new players causing a different dynamic on the field.
Windsor struggled to put any strong pressure on the McMaster defence throughout the game. With twenty minutes remaining and the score still deadlocked at zeio, Iyowuna was ejected from the game putting Windsor down a man for the remainder of the match.
Being shorthanded proves too much for the Blue & Gold, as the visitors score in the 82nd and 90th minutes to take the win.
Prior to the game the Lancers honoured their graduating seniors Akbal Gill, Will Al-Youssef, Mike Pio, Derrick Amankwa, Joe Camaj, Tony Falkestajn, Sam Atkin Chris Lanni, John Bahdi and Peter Valente.
Source: Windsor Lancers
McMaster 1 @ Western 1
LONDON, Ont. – Two first half goals proved to be the only markers on the day as the Western Mustangs men's soccer team recorded a 1-1 draw with the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon at Mustangs Field.
"I'm very pleased with how the team performed [today]," said Mustangs head coach Rock Basacco. "We created some good chances, but they also created some good chances, you have to give credit to McMaster they're a good team. I thought the boys played really well, we held defensively, and we managed to get a goal."
With the draw the Mustangs unbeaten streak increases to five games with four wins and a tie over that span. Overall Western holds a 8-4-2 record, good for fourth in the OUA West Division standings, while McMaster moves to 8-2-3 and a tie with Guelph for second place in the West Division.
In an intense first half the Mustangs were the first side to hit the scoreboard as Chuka Ononye headed in a corner kick from Parker Seymour to give the home side a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the game. The two teams would continue to trade attacks before the Marauders tied things up off of a strike from Aleksander Vincic in the 17th minute.
Despite a few chances for both sides throughout the remainder of the first half, neither team was able to solve the other as the score remained tied 1-1 at halftime.
The intensity and physicality picked up in the second half, with each team picking up a yellow card in the second. Both Western and McMaster would control the play for short periods of time, however neither side was able to gain a significant advantage for more than a few minutes in a row.
Although neither side took full control, both teams saw a couple of good scoring chances, and fittingly enough given the back and forth nature of Saturday's game, the teams traded chances in added time. Gersi Xhuti had a great chance for the Marauders, sending the ball toward the Mustangs net off of a corner kick, however netminder Ben Cowman punched the ball away. Not to be outdone by their opponents, the Mustangs made a final push of their own as Seymour fired a shot in the final seconds, however it sailed just high, leaving the game to finish tied at 1-1.
The tie leaves Western with 26 points in the standings, just one point out of second, heading into two games with the top two teams in the division in York and Guelph.
"We've got a whole week of sessions, so that's going to be a good opportunity to reflect back on the game against Mac and see where we need to put some more time, in terms of our attacking play, our defensive play," said Basacco.
The Mustangs now have seven days to rest and prepare for their final regular season games of the season as they host the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, October 18 at 3:15 p.m. before finishing up with the York Lions on October 19.
Source: Western Mustangs
RMC 0 @ Toronto 2
TORONTO, Ont. - The University of Torotno Varsity Blues men's soccer team defeated the RMC Paladins 2-0 on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 11) in Kingston, Ontario.
With the win, the Blues improve to 8-3-1 and sit in third place in the OUA East, with two games in hand over the second-place Queen's Gaels (8-2-4).
First half action was scoreless before Woodbridge native, Mario Kovacevic hit one on target and beat the RMC keeper in the 42nd minute.
Kovacevic struck again in the 72nd minute to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.
U of T defence was solid and goalkeeper Rab Bruce- Lockhart was only forced to make one save, earning the shut out for the Blues.
The Varsity Blues return to action tomorrow as they take on the Gaels in Kingston, Ont. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Ryerson 1 @ Queen's 2
KINGSTON, Ont. - The No.10 Queen's men's soccer team earned a 2-1 upset victory over the No.4 Ryerson Rams in a battle of CIS top 10 teams on Saturday afternoon at Miklas-McCarney Field.
Ryerson opened the scoring in the 34th minute on a goal from Viktor Anastasov. Neither team could capitalize on any further scoring opportunities as the Rams maintained the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
The Gaels knotted the score five minutes into the second half as Eric Koskins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) buried the equalizer with a header off a Henry Bloemen (Toronto) cross. Queen's continued to pour on the offensive pressure and eventually converted in the 64th minute on the game-winning goal from Kristian Zanette (Thunder Bay, Ont.), who beat the Rams offside trap and found the back of the net. Trying to earn an insurance marker, the Gaels were relentless. When Tommy Hong (Oakville, Ont.) was on a breakaway in the 81st minute, Rams keeper Christian Maraldo took him down in the box. Maraldo was sent off with a straight red, and Queen's was given a penalty pick, which was saved by Ryerson's replacement keeper, Praveen Ahilan.
Gaels keeper Maxfield Materne (Toronto) held Ryerson scoreless in the second half to secure the upset victory. Materne collected three saves over the match, while Maraldo registered nine.
Queen's now sits just two points back of Ryerson for first place in the OUA East Division after today's victory.
The Gaels (8-2-4) return to action on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Toronto Varsity Blues (7-3-1) at 3:15pm on Miklas-McCarney Field.
Source: Queen's Gaels
Sunday, October 11
Nipissing 1 @ UOIT 2
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT men's soccer team picked up their third straight victory on Sunday afternoon as the Ridgebacks edged out Nipissing 2-1.
With six points this weekend, the Ridgebacks (4-6-4) have leap-frogged Nipissing (3-6-5) and Laurentian (4-7-3) in the OUA eastern conference standings to sit alone in fifth place. With all three teams having two games remaining in their respective regular seasons, the Ridgebacks are in the driver's seat and control their own playoff destiny.
Nipissing opened up the game on a strong note, as defender Chris Anderson scored his first goal of the season at the 10-minute mark. Knowing that their playoff lives were on the line, UOIT's top two forwards hooked up as Joe Vaz (Whitby, Ont.) set up Erik Petrovik (Sombor, Serbia) with a beautiful pass who buried the ball in the back of the net for his team leading fifth goal of the year.
In the 67th minute of the second half, Nipissing was called for a penalty in the box sending UOIT freshman Cody Kraemer (Whitby, Ont.) to the line for the second straight game. Kraemer would make no mistake as he beat Nipissing's Grainger Munro for the game winning goal.
UOIT's defence did a great job limiting Nipissing's chances in the second half, holding the Lakers at bay with only two shots.
Travis Martin (Whitby, Ont.) would earn the victory in net for UOIT as he made six saves, five of which were in the first half. Final shots ended up 13-8 in favour of the Ridgebacks.
UOIT will now face the No. 4 ranked Ryerson Rams (Wednesday) and the Carleton Ravens (Sunday).
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
McMaster 2 @ Windsor 0
WINDSOR, Ont. - On Sunday, a number of injuries and suspensions cause the Lancers to start a number of new players causing a different dynamic on the field.
Windsor struggled to put any strong pressure on the McMaster defence throughout the game. With twenty minutes remaining and the score still deadlocked at zeio, Iyowuna was ejected from the game putting Windsor down a man for the remainder of the match.
Being shorthanded proves too much for the Blue & Gold, as the visitors score in the 82nd and 90th minutes to take the win.
Prior to the game the Lancers honoured their graduating seniors Akbal Gill, Will Al-Youssef, Mike Pio, Derrick Amankwa, Joe Camaj, Tony Falkestajn, Sam Atkin Chris Lanni, John Bahdi and Peter Valente.
Source: Windsor Lancers
Ryerson 4 @ RMC 0
KINGSTON, Ont. – Jackson Tooke (Toronto) and Eric Soares (Woodbridge, Ont.) scored their first OUA goals to help the No. 4 Ryerson Rams men's soccer team to a 4-0 win over the RMC Paladins on Sunday in Kingston.
Tooke found the back of the net in the 13th minute to open the scoring before Viktor Anastasov (Toronto) added his seventh of the season in the 17th minute and Raheem Rose (Etobicoke, Ont.) netted his third in the 30th minute to give the visitors a 3-0 lead after 45 minutes.
Soares added a late insurance goal in the 81st minute to round out the scoring.
Ryerson keeper Praveen Ahilan (Unionville, Ont.) made five saves in the cleansheet victory.
The Rams improve to 11-2-0 on the season to remain in first place in the OUA east division standings. Ryerson is back on the pitch on Wednesday, October 15 when they host the UOIT Ridgebacks at Monarch Park at 8:15 p.m.
Source: Ryerson Rams
Toronto 0 @ Queen's 0
KINGSTON, Ont. - On Miklas-McCarney Field, the No.10 men's soccer team earned a 0-0 draw against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon.
Neither team could convert on any scoring opportunities as keepers Maxfield Materne (Toronto) of the Gaels and Rab Bruce-Lockhart of the Varsity Blues were perfect on the afternoon. Shots for the match totalled 11-10 in favour of Queen's, but shots on goal were 7-5 for Toronto.
With today's tie, Queen's remains three points ahead of Toronto for second place in the OUA East Division Standings.
The Gaels return to action for their final game of the regular season next Sunday afternoon when they battle RMC at 3:15pm on Miklas-McCarney field.
Source: Queen's Gaels
Waterloo 0 @ York 4
TORONTO, Ont. - The No. 2 nationally ranked York University Lions men's soccer team extend their winning streak after a 4-0 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday (Oct. 12).
The Lions exerted early pressure in the game as the ball remained in York's attacking third. Tyrone Downes (Markham, Ont.) powered a shot with his left foot, but the ball went straight into the keeper's hands.
The Lions kept knocking on the Warriors defence's door. In the 12th minute, Dena Iezady (Richmond Hill, Ont.) sent a shot that hits the crossbar.
Ben Futoriansky (Richmond Hill, Ont.) opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Downes made an excellent run from the left flank into the box before laying it off to for Futoriansky to shoot home.
Not long after the goal, Jarek Whiteman (Brampton, Ont.) raced after the ball from the right wing and tried to dribble past the keeper. Warriors goalie, Adam Weller, stood his ground and made the save.
In the 21st minute, Whiteman fired a shot but it was deflected wide. Whiteman finally got his goal after faking a defender and netting it in the bottom corner.
Futoriansky scored his second goal in the 35th minute. A through ball from an attacking play released the midfielder, and Futoriansky calmly fired home.
Matt Arnone (Woodbridge, Ont.) came off the bench and made a powerful shot that goes wide. Arnone's efforts were not in vain as the forward headed home a Malcolm Loukides (East York, Ont.) cross. Loukides chased a stray ball down the left and released a cross right before it crossed the line. Arnone won the aerial challenge and directed the ball into the net in the 69th minute.
Downes continued making an impact on the game and came close to scoring a goal of his own in the 79th minute. After an intense passing play, Downes found an open space in the box to shoot, but it went off the bar. Arnone was there on the rebound but his shot went wide.
Nicolas Mejia (Burlington, Ont.) made an impressive run in the final minute, dribbling past three defenders and took a shot that went barely wide.
Lions goalie Andrew D'Souza (Mississauga, Ont.) was challenged only once, successfully keeping a clean sheet.
The Lions' next opponent is the Windsor Lancers at home on Saturday (Oct. 18) at 3:15pm.
Source: York Lions