LIONS SWEEP BADGERS IN AFTERNOON SOCCER MATCH-UPS
The York University Lions men’s and women’s soccer teams both recorded victories over the Brock Badgers on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 29) at York Stadium.
The men’s team cruised to a 4-0 win while the women squeezed out a 3-2 triumph.
The first half of the men’s contest was scoreless, although the Lions saw plenty of scoring opportunities and nearly got on the board first when a shot by team scoring leader Adrian Pena (Woodbridge, Ont.) cleared the goalkeeper but bounced off the crossbar.
They finally blew the game open early in the second half starting with a goal by rookie Alon Badat (Thornhill, Ont.), who found the back of the net in the 59th minute.
Fifth-year defenceman Jamaal Smith (Mississauga, Ont.) scored the team’s second goal in the 67th minute, and Badat added his second of the game just one minute later. Moreno Alberti (Winnipeg, Man.) rounded out the scoring in the 80th minute with a goal of his own.
Sotiri Varlokostas (Toronto) earned the shutout in net for the Lions.
The Lions remain the best offensive team in the OUA with 25 goals through eight games, five more than the Western Mustangs have scored in nine games. With the win, the team has moved into second place in the OUA West with a 5-2-1 record and 16 points.
The women finally got back into the win column with their best offensive effort of the season and moved into a tie for sixth place in the OUA West with the victory.
The Lions entered halftime with a one-goal lead thanks to a shot by Alicia Donaldson (Mississauga, Ont.) that got past Brock goalkeeper Syreeta Rhoden. They scored again mid-way through the second half on a goal by Natalie Ghazalian (Toronto), her first of the season.
Despite being down by two goals, the Badgers refused to go away and finally got on the board in the 74th minute on a goal by Cassandra Van Bakel. The Lions regained their two-goal advantage six minutes later when midfielder Rita Keimakh (Maple, Ont.) netted her first as a Lion, but again Brock closed the gap on a goal by Kelly Miller in the 83rd minute.
That was as close as the Badgers would get as York goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini (Newmarket, Ont.) stood tall in net to hang on for the win.
The Lions will be on the road this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders. The first opponent will be the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 2), followed by the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday (Oct. 3). The women’s games on both days will begin at 1pm and the men will follow at 3:15pm.
