Football Lions ready for some home cooking

After starting the season with two road games, the York Lions football team finally will have a chance to enjoy the friendly confines of York Stadium this weekend.

The Lions, who fell to 0-2 with a narrow 18-15 loss against the Waterloo Warriors this past weekend, play host to the 0-2 Guelph Gryphons Saturday at 1pm. Playing at home should give the Lions a lift as they have lost eight in a row away from York Stadium. It will also give new interim head coach York Lions Cameron WorsleyAndy McEvoy a chance to record his first win as the bench boss at York.

Five days after opening the season with a 59-0 loss against the Windsor Lancers, the Lions showed great improvement against Waterloo, but could not hold on to an early 8-0 lead. The big bright spot for York was the play of Cameron Worsley (right), who hauled in two touchdown passes and finished with 139 receiving yards. New receiver/quarterback Michael Hyatt also turned in a strong performance, throwing a 75-yard TD strike to Worsley after receiving a lateral from quarterback Mike Crabtree on a beautiful trick play. The Montreal product also took plenty of snaps at quarterback and finished with 213 passing yards.

The Lions cut the lead to 18-15 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Crabtree to Worsley with 1:40 to go, but the Warriors recorded two first downs after that to seal the tight victory and improve to 2-0 for the first time since 1998.

Meanwhile, at York Stadium this past weekend, the Lions soccer teams continued their perfect runs to start the season. Both teams improved to 4-0 with sweeps against the Waterloo Warriors and Laurier Golden Hawks.

The men’s soccer Lions hammered the Warriors 6-0 before beating the Golden Hawks 4-1. Rookie Moreno Alberti collected five goals in the two games, giving him an Ontario University Athletics-leading six on the season.

The women’s soccer team, ranked a team-best number three in the country heading into weekend play, beat the Warriors 3-0 and knocked off the Golden Hawks 1-0. Stefania Morra led the way with three goals this weekend, giving her five on the season. The Lions haven’t allowed a goal this season as goalkeeper Aurelea Gumiela has recorded four shutouts.

In exhibition play, the Lions field hockey team went 2-1-1 in four exhibition games this weekend. York’s wins came against the Carleton Ravens (4-0) and Western Mustangs (2-0). Kirsty Fox led the way with two goals this weekend. The Lions open regular season play on Saturday, at 1:30pm, against the Queen’s Golden Gaels in Waterloo.

In tennis action, York rookie Mikhail Lew and Michael Gauthey advanced to Monday’s final of the OUA individual tournament at the Rexall Centre on York’s Keele campus. York’s Joelle Fisher also advanced to the women’s final. The Lions tennis team begins regular-season play Thursday at 3pm against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Rexall Centre.

This story was submitted to YFile by Mike Koreen, sport & recreation information officer in York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health.