AROUND OUA: Defending champion Gee-Gees tie Gaels 1-1 in home opener
Nipissing 0 @ UOIT 6
Laurentian 1 @ Trent 0
Ryerson 2 @ Toronto 4
Algoma 1 @ Laurier 18
Waterloo 2 @ McMaster 2
Western 5 @ Brock 1
Windsor 0 @ Guelph 1
Queen's 1 @ Ottawa 1
Defending champion Gee-Gees tie Gaels 1-1 in home opener
From scrappy play to weird bounces, the uOttawa Gee-Gees' home opener had it all as they tied Queen's University 1-1 on Saturday afternoon. Ottawa's Julia Francki and Queen's Tara Bartram had the lone goals for their teams in a game that really looked like the first match of the season for both squads.
"It was not nearly great soccer," Gee-Gees head coach Steve Johnson said. "There were a lot of mistakes because people were probably not getting their head up and choosing a better option than they did."
The Gee-Gees controlled the early minutes, possessing the ball and pressing the Gaels defenders. Ottawa's aggressive play paid off in the most bizarre of ways when Francki pressured Queen's keeper Madison Tyrell. Tyrell attempted to clear the ball, but hit Francki in the chest and the ball ricocheted off the Gee-Gees captain and into the open net. The fortunate bounce gave the Gee-Gees their first lead of the season just 12 minutes into the contest.
"We were trying to pressure them early on," Francki explained, "So when the keeper didn't move the ball quickly, I decided to go for it and it worked."
The Gaels responded with aggressive play of their own for the rest of the half, but strong defensive positioning by the Gee-Gees kept most shots to the perimeter. Johnson was happy with his team's defensive performance, noting that they had focused on the back-end for most of the pre-season.
Ottawa's Delaney Rickert-Hall had a fantastic opportunity to put the Gee-Gees up early in the second half, but Tyrell just got the tip of her right fingers on the strike to keep Queen's in the game. The save seemed to give the Gaels some offensive confidence. Tara Bartram converted on a beautiful cross pass which caused a traffic jam of defenders in front of Cynthia LeBlanc, to tie the game in the 50th minute.
The rest of the game was extremely chippy, as both teams were increasingly physical. Francki had the game's best opportunity to score on a strike from the 18-yard box, but the corner post stymied her. Neither team could break the tie and the game ended in a draw.
"It's a first game for a lot of our players," Johnson said of his team's performance, "So we weren't as organized as we should be."
The Gee-Gees return to home field action next weekend. Ottawa hosts Nipissing University on September 5 and Laurentian University on September 6. Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m. at Matt Anthony Field.
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
Pair of hat tricks see UOIT to victory
OSHAWA, Ont. – A pair of hat tricks lifted the UOIT women's soccer team to victory in their OUA season opener against Nipissing Saturday afternoon at Vaso's Field.
It took the Ridgebacks offence 20 minutes to heat up once it did, they did not cool down.
Cassandra Sribny (Pickering, Ont.) got the Ridgebacks on the board 24 minutes into the game, finishing a shot fired wide by Shynice Williams (Mississauga, Ont.).
Less than ten minutes later, Williams would connect on back-to-back goals just one minute apart, putting the Ridgebacks up 3-0 at the half.
Six minutes into the second half, Sribny struck again for her second of the game.
Williams would complete her hat-trick at the 81 minute mark, coming off her team-high eighth shot on target. Not to be outdone, Sribny matched Williams total with her third goal that came in the 90th minute. Both players finished with three goals and an assist.
Sara Voisin (Waterloo, Ont.) and Jessica Mithrush (Thunder Bay, Ont.) each picked up an assist in the win.
Quick passes, controlling time of possession and capitalizing on defensive breakdowns were the key to victory for the defending OUA bronze medalists.
It total, the Ridgebacks fired 18 shots on target, with Nipissing goaltender Carlee Bennard making 12 saves.
In three games this season (including preseason), UOIT's defence has not allowed a goal against. Helen Frampton (Toronto) made six saves in goal, before being relived in the 81st minute by Victoria Savage (Woodbridge, Ont.).
UOIT will have a short turnaround for their second game of the weekend as they host the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday at noon.
Source: UOIT Ridgebacks
Laurentian starts season in the win column with 1-0 victory over Trent
The Voyageurs women's soccer team started their 2015 season on the right foot as they upended the Trent Excalibur this afternoon in exciting fashion, 1-0.
The Voyageurs lone goal came from their leading scorer a year ago, Sarah Sanford, off a corner kick from Megan Gallo in the 77th minute. Backing up the offense was a solid defensive line who allowed only two shots on goalkeeper Richele Greenwood, as she enjoyed her first shutout of the season.
According to head coach Rob Gallo "the team had difficulty getting going but played well in the last 20 minutes", helping them secure their first win of the year. They will look to carry the momentum from the second half today as they travel to UOIT tomorrow to take on the Ridgebacks at 12pm.
Source: Laurentian Voyageurs
Blues upend Rams 4-2 in season opener
Four different players scored as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's soccer team defeated the Ryerson Rams 4-2 in their 2015 home and season opener on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 29) at Varsity Centre.
U of T women's soccer remains undefeated against Ryerson in head-to-head history, holding a 47-0-3 record dating back to their first meeting in 1986, 10-0-1 since 2010.
The Blues wasted no time, getting on the board in the first minute of action. Second-year midfielder Chelsea Cheung sent a booming shot from 25 yards out that hit Ryerson keeper Cassandra Rea and went in.
The Rams were quick to respond, however, as third-year defender Heather Brown headed a corner kick past Blues keeper Sara Petrucci to even the score four minutes later.
U of T surged ahead with back-to-back goals from veteran midfielder Nicki Parkes and rookie Natasha Klasios in the 20th and 30th minutes, respectively, and third-year striker Brenda Murillo added another as the Blues took a 4-1 lead into the half.
The Rams added one early in the second half, but that was all they could muster as the Blues walked away with the 4-2 victory.
The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, September 5 when they travel to Kingston, Ont., to take on the Queen's Gaels. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Source: Toronto Varsity Blues
Late lead slips away for Marauders in 2-2 draw to open season against Warriors
They showed offensive promise, and controlled play for much of the 90 minutes, but a defensive lapse in the final stage cost the Marauders the full three points on Saturday. McMaster led 2-0 before conceding two goals in the space of two minutes to draw the Waterloo Warriors 2-2 at Ron Joyce Stadium in the teams' OUA opener.
Jessie Faber and Maila Carboni had goals for the Marauders, with Carboni's standing as the rookie striker's first OUA goal in her very first appearance. Melanie Mitchell and Aysun Osmansoy had Waterloo's quick-fire double, which saw the Warriors steal a dramatic late point.
The early edge lay with the Marauders on Saturday, and the home side teased an opening goal just four minutes into the contest, when veteran midfielder Kelsey Orlando fed Taylor Lambert in the box, who chipped a far-post effort just wide. Probing again and again as the half wore on, McMaster came close to potting their first goal of the season when rookie striker Stephanie Roberts broke free and smashed a rising shot against the crossbar in the 20th minute.
It took five more minutes for the Marauders to find the edge, as a loose ball spilled to Faber on the edge of the box in the 25th minute and she slotted a controlled effort into the far side netting for 1-0.
Capping a strong half, Orlando crafted two more chances to score in the 40th minute, but could not find the final touch, and McMaster carried their one-goal advantage into the break.
The second half began quietly, with neither team carving out convincing chances until a flurry of action unfolded in the 60th minute. A Waterloo free kick bounced through the area and forced a flapping save from McMaster's Cristina Abbatangelo, and Marauder wing back Sophia Ykema responded by launching a furious counter that forced a matching save at the other end.
McMaster was suddenly sensing a second goal, and after Orlando threatened in the 65th minute, Carboni produced a powerful run and clinical shot to double the Marauders advantage in the 70th. The rookie latched on to a ball through the middle and surged past a first defender, turning past a second and curling a shot just inside the far post for 2-0.
The hosts seemed to be well on the way to an opening win, but Waterloo had other ideas. The Warriors forced a free kick into the box in the 85th minute, which Mitchell tracked and headed past Abbatangelo at the near post to slash the visitors deficit in half. Just two minutes later, the comeback was complete, as a loose ball rolled to Osmansoy at the edge of the box and the midfielder struck a beautiful shot off the inside of the far post and in.
Neither team produced a quality chance in the dying moments, and the two split the points as the final whistle blew.
McMaster returns to action on Sunday, when the York Lions visit Ron Joyce Stadium. That match gets underway at 1:00 p.m. and admission is free.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Brock women's soccer drops 5-1 decision to Western
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University women's soccer team (0-1 OUA) dropped a 5-1 decision to the visiting Western Mustangs Saturday afternoon at home.
Brock sophomore Brooke Boekestyn (Jordan Station, Ont.) opened the scoring at the 26 minute mark as she beat Western starting goalkeeper Tori Edgar to an open ball and buried into the empty net.
The Mustangs tied the game 1-1 at the 20 minute mark, as Sabrina De Nard setup Angelica Mihalopulous for her first goal of the season. Western added another at 37 minutes when Paige Howard buried a header past Brock goalkeeper Larissa Aiken to make it 2-1.
In the second half, Western carried the tempo and added three more singles from Sonja Cvetcovic (65'), Grace Grafham (81') and Stefanie Di Tella (89') on a penalty kick.
Western's Edgar registered three saves in the victory for the Mustangs. Aiken allowed two goals on five shots while Lauren MacCulloch collected two saves in the loss.
Source: Brock Badgers
Late goal gives Gryphons the win in OUA regular season opener
Guelph, ON – The Gryphons Women's Soccer team (1-0-0) opened up the 2015 OUA regular season with a hard-fought 1-0 win on home field over the visiting Windsor Lancers (0-1-0). Rookie forward Hayley Howes (Windsor, ON) scored the game's lone goal in the 86th minute.
The game was a re-match of last season's opening round OUA playoff matchup. Much like that meeting, which the Gryphons won 2-1 on penalties, this match also was a tightly contested affair. Both back lines held strong and scoring chances were few and far between as the teams were knotted 0-0 after 45 minutes of play. In the second half, Guelph's second year keeper Libby Brenneman was called upon when a Windsor player unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the 18-yard box. Libby would stand tall, getting a hand to the ball to deflect it over the bar and out of harm's way.
With the game still scoreless in the 86th minute, the Gryphons would find a break through thanks to highly touted rookie Hayley Howes. Howes would be played through and would put her blazing speed on display to out-pace the Lancers defender before calmly sliding home the winner past the Windsor keeper. While this was the first official OUA goal of Hayley's career, it was also the latest on what has been an impressive start to her U of G career. Howes impressed during the preseason, scoring in her Gryphon debut against NCAA opponent Niagara University, and later in the preseason, scoring twice against the Concordia Stingers.
While Hayley's ability to finish has turned some heads, the team play of the Gryphons defensively has been equally impressive early on in the 2015-16 season. Including preseason games, the Gryphons have conceded just one goal in six contests.
The Gryphons Women's Soccer team will be right back at it once again on Sunday (Aug. 30) when they play host to the Waterloo Warriors (0-0-1). The Warriors are coming off an impressive road performance on Saturday as they were able to storm back late against McMaster to erase a 2-0 deficit and earn the draw. Game time for the Gryphons and Warriors is set for 1pm on Sunday at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
Source: Guelph Gryphons
