PIONEER PETROLEUMS OUA ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
HAMILTON, Ont. – The following student-athletes have been named Pioneer Petroleums Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week for the period ending November 7, 2010.
Each Pioneer Petroleums OUA Athlete of the Week will receive a $25 gift card and a dri-fit T-shirt, courtesy of Pioneer Petroleums.
MALE: John Smits, Toronto Varsity Blues, Soccer
Third-year goalkeeper John Smits pulled out all the stops, denying three penalty kicks to lead the Varsity Blues men’s soccer team to a 1-0 upset over the No. 2 York Lions and their first OUA banner since 2002 this past weekend. A native of Mississauga, Ont., Smits recorded his 10th shutout of the season and fifth in the last eight games en route to player of the game laurels in Sunday’s final versus York. The two-time OUA all-star denied OUA West most valuable player Adrian Pena’s penalty kick attempt, diving to his side to keep the game deadlocked in the 37th minute. After posting 10 saves over 90 minutes of regulation and 30 of extra time, Smits then stepped up in a big way and made two huge saves over six rounds of penalty kicks, including the game-winning stop on Carlos Noguiera to secure the 1-0 victory. The fifth-year biology major also led the team to a 3-1 semi-final victory over the Western Mustangs on Saturday, making eight saves in the process.
FEMALE: Kaelan Watson, Toronto Varsity Blues, Field Hockey
2010 CIS All-Canadian Kaelan Watson was named the tournament MVP as she led the Varsity Blues field hockey team to their 11th McCrae Cup this past weekend in Guelph, Ont. The midfielder, who has been named an OUA All-Star and CIS All-Canadian in each of her three years, led the third-seeded Blues to a perfect 5-0 record over the four-day tournament. She was named the player of the game in a thrilling 2-1 victory over the defending champion UBC Thunderbirds to claim Toronto’s second national title in four years. The Richmond, B.C., native was also named the player of the game in a 1-0 upset over the second-seeded Thunderbirds in Toronto’s second game of the tournament. Watson was very instrumental in the Blues upset over the No. 1 and OUA champion Guelph Gryphons, scoring the game-winning goal in a convincing 4-1 victory to secure a spot in the gold-medal match.
