AROUND OUA: Burns leads Lakers past Blues

SCOREBOARD

Toronto 1 @ Nipissing 2

Ottawa 3 @ UOIT 1

Ryerson 0 @ Laurentian 4

Carleton 2 @ Trent 1

Burns leads Lakers past Blues

Despite battling some early season injuries to some key veterans, the Nipissing Lakers women's soccer team came up with a big win to kick-off the 2016 season.

The Lakers built up a 2-0 lead and held on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues, as the Lakers now sit 1-0-0 after their opener.

After both teams spent the first 30 minutes feeling each other out, the Lakers began to dictate the pace and put some more pressure on the Blues and their backline.

After a few close chances from forward Kristen Farkas, fellow striker Brittany Burns found the back of the net.

Burns fired a rocket, a left-footer, to the top shelf to give the Lakers the lead late in the first half.

Coming out in the second half with a 1-0 lead, Nipissing continued their strong attack.

Burns was once again on the scoresheet as she fired home her second of the match, making it 2-0 just 10 minutes into the second half.

The Blues fought back, scoring nine minutes after Burns' second, but it wasn't enough, as Nipissing held on for the victory.

Nipissing played a clean game, despite the goal against and with a handful of rookies seeing the field in their first OUA action.

Veteran goalie Carlee Bennard was very strong, making 14 saves in the win.

Farkas led the Lakers attack with three shots and some very good chances.

The Lakers will look to make it a perfect weekend when they hit the road and travel to Ryerson to face the Rams at Monarch Park Sunday.

Kickoff is set for noon.

Source: Nipissing Lakers

UOIT drops season opener to rival uOttawa

OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT women's soccer team failed to pick up any points in their OUA season opener as they were upended by the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-1 Friday night in Oshawa.
 
The Gee-Gees get the early advantage with three points in the conference standings over the Ridgebacks as many have predicted the pair will be battling it out for top spot at the conclusion of the season. This was the only meeting between the two sides this year.
 
After a scoreless first half, Ottawa finally broke the ice in the 63rd minute when Faythe Lou (Surrey, B.C.) received a pass through traffic in the crease. The fourth year midfielder buried the ball past a UOIT defender and a sprawling Helen Frampton (Toronto, Ont.) for the first goal of the game.
 
It did not take long for Lou to strike again as she found herself on the receiving end of a Ridgeback turnover 40 yards out. With Frampton at the top of the crease, she lobbed one over the second year netminder to put the Gee-Gees up 2-0.
 
UOIT would fight back with a goal of their own in the 75th minute when Tyra Gordon (Ajax, Ont.) beat a defender and fed Cassandra Sribny (Pickering, Ont.) in the crease. Sribny made no mistake as she hit the corner to put the Ridgebacks within one.
 
With the Ridgebacks pressing for the equalizer, the Gee-Gees managed to swing things around as they were fouled in the crease that resulted in a penalty shot. Breanna Burton (Ottawa, Ont.) placed the ball perfectly in the right corner to put the game away.
 
Shots ended up level at 14 apiece with Ottawa having 10 on target compared to UOIT's 7. Sribny received the games only card as she was cautioned in the first half.
 
UOIT will look to bounce back as they travel to Ottawa for a match against the Carleton Ravens on Sunday afternoon. Carleton defeated Trent 2-1 on Friday night in Peterborough.

Source: UOIT Ridgebacks

Rams drop season opener to Voyageurs

SUDBURY, Ont. - The Ryerson Rams women's soccer team suffered a tough loss in their season opener on Friday, losing a 4-0 decision to the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury.

The scoring began in the 21st minute when Laurentian's Carlee Parisotto knocked in a rebound effort from a free kick to give the home side a 1-0 advantage. That lead doubled by halftime as the Voyageurs headed to the break up 2-0.

Despite the final score, the Rams had their chances, matching the Voyageurs with 14 shots in the game.

Two late goals in the 84th and 90th minutes by the Voyageurs secured the victory.

Midfielder Thea Petsis (Toronto) led the Rams with two shots on goal while goalkeeper Brittney Clendenan (Ottawa, Ont.) made five saves on nine shots against in the losing effort.

Laurentian's Dina Mandolesi stopped all six shots on goal she faced while Megan Ferguson tallied two assists in the victory.

The Rams return to Toronto to face the Nipissing Lakers in their home opener on Sunday, August 28 at 12:00 noon at Monarch Park Stadium.

Source: Ryerson Rams

Ravens open 2016 with 2-1 road victory over Trent

PETERBOROUGH, ON – The Fred Juett era at Carleton has begun with a 2-1 road victory over the Trent Excalibur at Justin Chiu Stadium.

Two first half goals by Kelsey Saha (Ottawa, ON) and Tori MacFarlane (Kars, ON) lifted the Ravens to an opening day win for a fourth consecutive season.

Carleton applied pressure early in the first half, passing the ball well and creating scoring chances, but the team had little to show for it until the 29th minute when an Alessandra Previte (Brampton, ON) corner kick found its way through a maze of bodies and onto the foot of defender Kelsey Saha, who buried the ball into the net for a 1-0 Ravens lead. It was Saha's first goal since the 2014 season.

The Excalibur, who were searching for their first OUA win since September 2014, created a stir when they tied the game up at 1-1 in the 36th minute thanks to a Katie Steffler rocket shot. Steffler collected the ball at half and dribbled down the wing before hammering a deep, hard shot that made its way into the back the Ravens' net from thirty-five yards out.

In a daze following the tying goal, Carleton looked to refocus and regain the lead.

Second-year striker Tori MacFarlane came through with the go-ahead goal in the 41st minute with a superb solo effort.  MacFarlane took possession of the ball around thirty-five yards out from the Trent goal, made a quick move around her marker, before blasting a cross-crease laser past the Excalibur keeper to put the Ravens up 2-1 at halftime.

Carleton continued searching for another goal in the second half as Emily Copeland Dinan (Ottawa, ON) came close to adding a third, but her effort was pushed aside by Trent's backstop.

Defensively, the group did well to support the backline by keeping in position and tracking back, preventing any substantial threatening Trent attempts on goal. In the end, the Ravens did enough to secure the three points and give head coach Fred Juett a reason to celebrate in his first game in charge of the team.

Source: Carleton Ravens