Weekend wrap: Men’s soccer Lions take down Marauders

York Lions Logo

The No. 1 nationally ranked York University Lions men’s soccer team blanked the No. 2 McMaster University Marauders by a score of 2-0 in front of nearly 3,000 fans on Thursday night in York’s Frosh Frenzy game presented by Pizza Pizza.

York Lions LogoThe contest marked the first time since 2007 the top two teams in the country have faced off, and the win continued the Lions’ dominance over Ontario University Athletics (OUA) opponents, stretching their undefeated mark to 31 games dating back to Oct. 5, 2013. The Lions have also won the past six games against the rival Marauders, including in the OUA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) finals last year and both regular-season meetings this season.

The atmosphere was electric as the two teams took the field, and they traded chances and possession early. More details on York Lions website.

Later in the weekend, the Lions edged the University of Guelph Gryphons by a score of 1-0 to stay atop the OUA West Division standings.

The first half saw a closely matched contest between both teams, as possession shifted from one end of the field to the other. However, in the 18th minute, the Lions snatched their first goal from a powerful set piece delivered by midfielder Jonathan Lao that was headed home into the near post by striker Michael Cox, his third goal of the season. More details.

No. 5 Gryphons take down football Lions in Homecoming 2015

The York University Lions football team fell to the No. 5 nationally ranked University of Guelph Gryphons by a score of 49-22 in their annual Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon at York Stadium.

A slow first quarter for the Lions hurt them early, as the Gryphons scored four touchdowns in the opening frame for a significant 28-0 lead. But the young Lions buckled down after that and held the Gryphons to just 21 points the rest of the way.

Two one-yard rushing touchdowns by Johnny Augustine and a pair of passing touchdowns by quarterback James Roberts staked the Gryphons to the four-score lead after the first 15 minutes of play.

The Lions held the Gryphons off the scoreboard in the second and added three points of their own on a Guelph-conceded safety, and added another point on a booming punt by Nick Naylor at the end of the half that went into the end zone for a rouge. More details.

Women’s soccer Lions defeat Gryphons to remain unbeaten

After a hard-fought game on home turf, the York University Lions women’s soccer team earned a convincing 4-1 victory over the University of Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon to remain unbeaten to start the season with a five-game winning streak.

The Lions didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard, as just two minutes in, three-time OUA West all-star defender Shannon Wood delivered a perfectly executed in-swinging corner kick. The ball snuck into the near post and the Lions were up one goal quickly.

The goals didn’t stop there, as the Lions continued to battle on to claim their second goal just before half. Receiving an assist by two-time CIS first-team all-Canadian Sarah Wong, fourth-year defender Marilyn Grammenopoulos slammed the ball into the back post to claim her first goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. More details.

Earlier in the week, the Lions earned a 1-0 win over the McMaster University Marauders when fifth-year defender Taylor Lyons scored the lone goal of the game, her first of the season.

Lyons, playing in her first game of the season after returning to the lineup this week, found the back of the net in the 66th minute, converting a header on a beautiful cross pass from fellow fifth-year defender Wood. More details.

Women’s rugby Lions begin season with victory over Excalibur

The York University Lions women’s rugby team defeated the Trent University Excalibur by a score of 38-23 on Friday night at the York Rugby Field.

The early stages of the match saw both sides share the ball while sharing blows and creating the game’s physical tempo, until Petra Woods broke off a long run that shifted the momentum to York’s advantage. Woods, last year’s OUA rookie of the year, came out strong in the first half, creating space and breaking tackles leading to York maintaining field position.

Cheyenne Legerton gave the Lions the lead late in the dying moments of the first half, breaking a few tackles and managing to reach for the try. Trent kept the game close, however, and the score going into the second half was 19-8 for the home team. More details.