October 21, 2010
M-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Western, York tied for top of the West
Guelph Gryphons @ Brock Badgers
The Guelph Gryphon men’s soccer team kept their playoff hopes alive today with a much needed 3-1 win on the road today over the Waterloo Warriors. The Gryphons advance to 3-8-2 on the season.
It was a scrappy first half with few chances created by either team. The Gryphons only real chance came when Jurgen Koehler battled well against two Warrior defenders to win the ball and get off a shot, which the keeper saved. The rebound fell to Robbie Murphy (Ottawa), who buried his fourth of the season in the 18th minute.
The second half was dominated by the Gryphons and the pressure paid off in the 56th minute when Dena Iezady was sent in on the Waterloo keeper by Arthur Berlin; Iezady made no mistake for his second of the year.
It was Iezady who would put the game away in the 70th minute when he tapped in at the far post after a great cross by Colin MacMillan. Though Waterloo scored a very well-taken goal late on, Guelph's dominance of the game carried them to the victory.
Source: Gryphons Athletics
UOIT Ridgebacks @ Laurier Golden Hawks
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s soccer team nearly pulled off an upset against one of the top teams in the OUA on Wednesday night as they played the Laurier Golden Hawks on the road. Despite a tremendous effort by a Ridgebacks shortened squad, Laurier escaped with a 2-1 victory.
Laurier jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first half, but the Ridgebacks would strike back as midfielder Ali Asgary netted his first goal of the year at the 45 minute mark to cut the Laurier lead to just one.
Asgary’s strike would be the last goal of the game as the teams went scoreless in the second half, allowing Laurier to sneak away with the three points.
Oliver Leitz had a strong game in net for UOIT making eight saves, six of which were in the second half.
UOIT leading scorer Paul Craven had two shots on net, but was unable to beat the Laurier keeper.
Toronto Varsity Blues @ Trent Excalibur
Alex Raphael scored two goals to lead the No. 6 Varsity Blues men’s soccer team to a 5-0 win over the Trent Excalibur on Wednesday, October 20 in Peterborough, Ont.
With the win, the Blues improve to 9-1-3 and move into first place in the OUA East division.
Raphael of East York, Ont., scored the eventual game-winner in the 44th minute of the first half.
The Blues offence exploded with four unanswered goals in the second frame. Third-year defender Neil D’Silva of Mississauga, Ont., put the Blues up by two in the 64th minute. Rookie midfielder and Winnipeg native Ezequiel Lubocki scored his fourth of the year in the 75th minute.
Veteran striker Nordo Gooden of Kingston, Jamaica potted his fifth goal of the season in the 81st minute and Raphael rounded out the scoring with his second of the game in the 90th minute of the match.
With the win, the Blues improve to 9-1-3 and move into first place in the OUA East division.
Raphael of East York, Ont., scored the eventual game-winner in the 44th minute of the first half.
The Blues offence exploded with four unanswered goals in the second frame. Third-year defender Neil D’Silva of Mississauga, Ont., put the Blues up by two in the 64th minute. Rookie midfielder and Winnipeg native Ezequiel Lubocki scored his fourth of the year in the 75th minute.
Veteran striker Nordo Gooden of Kingston, Jamaica potted his fifth goal of the season in the 81st minute and Raphael rounded out the scoring with his second of the game in the 90th minute of the match.
Source: Blues Athletics
Windsor Lancers @ Western Mustangs
The Western Mustangs men's soccer team surrendered a late second-half goal in a 1-1 tie with the Windsor Lancers on a rainy, windy night at TD Waterhouse Stadium Wednesday.
With the tie, the Mustangs men move into a first-place tie at 10-1-4 for 34 points with the York Lions (11-2-1, 34 points) in the OUA West. The Lions have a game in hand.
Western, nationally ranked at No. 7, closes the regular season at Brock (4-10-1) on Sunday afternoon - the Badgers are out of the playoffs - while York closes with games against Guelph (4-8-2) and Windsor (3-4-8), two teams fighting for their playoff lives.
The Mustangs looked to be the stronger team for most of the night, especially on a sequence of five consecutive corner kicks midway through the first half.
But Lancers goalkeeper Dan Mendonca and his defence were equal to the task and fended off the Mustangs well, including a save at the start of this two-minute forray off Camillo Gonzales from 25 yards out.
After a scoreless first half, the Mustangs opened the scoring in the 65th minute on a nice play which started on the sidline with tic-tac-toe passing between Gonzales and Marco Zoeger.
Zoeger eventual got the ball and curled a beautiful cross to defender Dominic Bell who joined the rush late from the outside fullback spot and headed it low past Mendonca for a 1-0 lead.
Western controlled the play in the second half in wet, slick conditions, making it difficult to establish any sort of decent rhythm in passing.
Andrew Murdoch of Burlington, Ont., made several nice saves in the Western net to keep his squad up on the visiting Lancers including one on Darrin Dielemans and another on Mike Watson.
The Lancers nearly tied the game on two occassions but their outside, bad angle shots missed the mark.
Mustangs midfielders Daniel Baxa and Daniel Frankel both had great opportunities go high.
Windsor finally got a break.
With five minutes left, a bad bounce caught Western's defence off-guard and rookie substitute David Salinitri eventually took a bouncing ball over top of a defender and volleyed it past a helpless Murdoch to tie the game.
In the final minute of the game, Mendonca was hurt on a collision with Daniel Baxa on a 50-50 ball. The Western midfielder ran on to the ball and slid to try to make contact, while Mendonca came in cleats-first as well. Both players made contact with each other and the ball, with Baxa getting hit near his head and Mendonca in the midsection.
Mendonca had to be helped off the field and was unable to put weight on his feet, while Baxa got up after being down briefly.
The teams both felt their player was unfairly challenged on the 50-50 ball.
Western had already cliniched a first-round bye to the host one of the OUA West semifinals on Oct. 30 and will now hope for York to falter to get a shot at top spot in the OUA West.
The Mustangs were without leading scorer Niko Mavrikos who was serving a suspension after being in an altercation on Sunday in a 3-2 loss to York - Western's only loss this season.
With the tie, the Mustangs men move into a first-place tie at 10-1-4 for 34 points with the York Lions (11-2-1, 34 points) in the OUA West. The Lions have a game in hand.
Western, nationally ranked at No. 7, closes the regular season at Brock (4-10-1) on Sunday afternoon - the Badgers are out of the playoffs - while York closes with games against Guelph (4-8-2) and Windsor (3-4-8), two teams fighting for their playoff lives.
The Mustangs looked to be the stronger team for most of the night, especially on a sequence of five consecutive corner kicks midway through the first half.
But Lancers goalkeeper Dan Mendonca and his defence were equal to the task and fended off the Mustangs well, including a save at the start of this two-minute forray off Camillo Gonzales from 25 yards out.
After a scoreless first half, the Mustangs opened the scoring in the 65th minute on a nice play which started on the sidline with tic-tac-toe passing between Gonzales and Marco Zoeger.
Zoeger eventual got the ball and curled a beautiful cross to defender Dominic Bell who joined the rush late from the outside fullback spot and headed it low past Mendonca for a 1-0 lead.
Western controlled the play in the second half in wet, slick conditions, making it difficult to establish any sort of decent rhythm in passing.
Andrew Murdoch of Burlington, Ont., made several nice saves in the Western net to keep his squad up on the visiting Lancers including one on Darrin Dielemans and another on Mike Watson.
The Lancers nearly tied the game on two occassions but their outside, bad angle shots missed the mark.
Mustangs midfielders Daniel Baxa and Daniel Frankel both had great opportunities go high.
Windsor finally got a break.
With five minutes left, a bad bounce caught Western's defence off-guard and rookie substitute David Salinitri eventually took a bouncing ball over top of a defender and volleyed it past a helpless Murdoch to tie the game.
In the final minute of the game, Mendonca was hurt on a collision with Daniel Baxa on a 50-50 ball. The Western midfielder ran on to the ball and slid to try to make contact, while Mendonca came in cleats-first as well. Both players made contact with each other and the ball, with Baxa getting hit near his head and Mendonca in the midsection.
Mendonca had to be helped off the field and was unable to put weight on his feet, while Baxa got up after being down briefly.
The teams both felt their player was unfairly challenged on the 50-50 ball.
Western had already cliniched a first-round bye to the host one of the OUA West semifinals on Oct. 30 and will now hope for York to falter to get a shot at top spot in the OUA West.
The Mustangs were without leading scorer Niko Mavrikos who was serving a suspension after being in an altercation on Sunday in a 3-2 loss to York - Western's only loss this season.
Source: Mustangs Athletics
OUA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
October 20
Guelph, 2 @ Brock, 1
UOIT, 1 @ Laurier, 2
Toronto, 5 @ Trent, 0
Windsor, 1 @ Western, 1
October 23
2:15pm – Queens @ Nipissing
2:15pm – RMC @ Laurentian
3:15pm – Trent @ Toronto
3:15pm – Carleton @ Ryerson
3:15pm – Guelph @ York
3:15pm – McMaster @ UOIT
October 24
2:15pm – RMC @ Nipissing
2:15pm – Queen’s @ Laurentian
3:15pm – Ryerson @ Trent
3:15pm – Waterloo @ Laurier
3:15pm – Western @ Brock
3:15pm – Windsor @ York
3:15pm – UOIT @ Guelph
