M-SOCCER ROUNDUP: Brock Badgers pick up first win
October 3 – Laurier @ Brock
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's soccer team (1-8-1) came out on top against the Laurier Golden Hawks by a score of 2-1 Wednesday afternoon at home.
With some changes to the defensive backline including striker Benjamin Haggith (Paris, Ont.) switching to a center back position and Bobby Turnbull (Brantford, Ont.) tucking in from a full back role, the Badgers seemed to have an acquired composure as the game began.
Within the first thirty minutes, the possession was equally distributed, but it was the home side who kept the visitors on their toes in their own half.
In the 28th minute, the attacking pressure paid off as Badgers sophomore midfielder Sammy Orlando (Woodbridge, Ont.) picked up a rebound and put it under the bar after a strong second chance for the 1-0 Brock lead.
As the midfield battle continued for ball possession, the work rate and interceptions of Osayemwenre Agbonwaneten (Brampton, Ont.) kept Brock at pace with the Golden Hawks. Brock led at the half 1-0.
After the break, both teams remained cautious but it was Laurier who kept pushing for the tying goal as Brock held strong. Brock junior goalkeeper Jake Sweetzer (Mississauga, Ont.) denied six goal-scoring chances throughout the match and kept Brock's advantage at bay.
In the 80th minute, returning striker Marcus Bernard (Thornhill, Ont.) was brought down inside the penalty box. Orlando stepped up to take it and made it 2-0 with a confident shot right through the middle, for his third goal of the season.
The Golden Hawks kept pressuring and brought it within one in the 86th minute when Hugo Hernandez buried a thunderous free kick past Sweetzer.
In the final four minutes, Laurier continued to pressure, but the Badgers defense stood tall on route to their first regular season victory.
Source: Brock Sports Info
Guelph @ UOIT
OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s soccer team dropped a 4-1 decision to the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday night at Vaso’s Field.
The Ridgebacks allowed three first half goals and could not find a way to generate any offence against the Gryphons in the first 45 minutes.
Declan Weir (Whitby, Ont.) was able to get the Ridgebacks on the board with just over ten minutes left in the game, as he drove the ball from just outside the box into the top corner. However, Guelph’s Elliott scored at the 85 minute mark to give Guelph the three-goal victory.
UOIT falls to 3-8-0 in conference action and is in seventh place in the OUA western conference standings. The Ridgebacks trail the Western Mustangs (3-4-3) for the final playoff position.
The Ridgebacks will head down to southwestern Ontario this weekend to take on the Mustangs (Saturday) and Windsor Lancers (Sunday).
Source: UOIT Sports Info
Ryerson @ Trent
PETERBOROUGH - The Ryerson Rams men's soccer team had a strong team effort on Wednesday night, posting a 2-0 victory over the Trent Excalibur to extend their undefeated streak to eight games and post an overall record of 5-1-3.
The Rams held the advantage in scoring chances and gave up very few Trent opportunities. Armin Tankovic (Mississauga, Ont.) had the first chance for the Rams in the 17th minute. His shot was labeled for the top left corner before a deflection off a Trent defender's back almost turned into an own-goal. The ball bounced just wide of the open side, keeping the game scoreless.
Defender Joshua Kohn (Richmond Hill, Ont.) cleared a ball out of his own 18 yard box all the way down field, finding Viktor Anastasov (Toronto) in the 28th minute. Anastasov split two defenders and corralled a bouncing ball before firing on target. His shot found the feet of Trent goalkeeper Alex Robertson (Orangville, Ont.), eliminating the opportunity.
The Rams reached the score board in the 41st minute when Adrian Mancini (Richmond Hill, Ont.) benefitted from a goal mouth cross from Vince D'Elia (Vaughan, Ont.). Mancini tapped the ball home for his second of the season.
Just three minutes later, Mancini added his second of the game with a booming shot from the top of the 18 yard box, beating the keeper low to his left side. The goal gave Ryerson a 2-0 lead heading into the second half and they never looked back.
In the 55th minute, Milos Scepanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) saved a ball from going out of bounds and simultaneously set up Mancini for an opportunity for the hat trick. Mancini's touch sent the ball just past the right post, keeping the score at 2-0.
Both teams upped their physical game in the 59th minute after Scepanovic took exception to a Hamish McPherson (Ottawa, Ont.) tackle. The two players drew a crowd and had to be separated and following the skirmish, several tackles resulted in players staying aground.
Despite the increased physicality, the Rams continued to push their offensive game and in the 81st minute Luka Lee (Toronto) made a great run down the right flank, bursting past two Trent defenders. His cross found a streaking Tankovic who appeared to add a third goal for Ryerson, but the play was called back on the offside.
With the victory the Rams remain in third place in the east division but have closed the gap with the two teams ahead of them. Ryerson now has 18 points and are just four behind both Carleton and Queen's.
Source: Ryerson Sports Info
