Weekend wrap: No. 10 women’s soccer Lions beat Gryphons, advance to OUA Final Four

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York U Lions

The No. 10 nationally ranked York University Lions women’s soccer team beat the University of Guelph Gryphons 1-0 in overtime on Sunday, Oct. 27 during the their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final game, securing their ticket to the Final Four for the first time in four years.

The intense match needed 120 minutes to decide a winner, and 105 minutes to score a goal. It was at that moment Lions midfielder Jotam Chouhan was able to score with a shot about 40 yards away from the Gryphons’ net. More details on the Lions website.

On Oct. 23, the women’s soccer team scarcely defeated the University of Waterloo Warriors in their OUA first-round playoff game at Alumni Field with a score of 1-0.

In the first half, the suspense was high and both teams were hungry for a win. Catherine Umolac had a fantastic cross in the Warriors’ 18-yard box, but was unfortunately picked off by the goalkeeper. More details.

Cross country Lions finish 10th behind Gonzalez’s top-40 finish at OUA championship

The York University Lions cross country teams competed at the OUA championships in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday morning (Oct. 26), where the women finished 10th overall as a team.

First-year runner Carmen Krawczynski Gonzalez was the first Lion to finish the race yet again, placing 39th overall, running 31:26. Her top-40 finish is the first for the Lions in nine years – the last runner to finish that strong was Dale Findlay, who placed 26th in 2010. More details.

No. 2 men’s soccer Lions defeat Marauders to qualify for Final Four

The No. 2 nationally ranked York University Lions men’s soccer team booked their ticket to the OUA Final Four on Sunday night (Oct. 27) as Christopher Jacovou scored a hat trick to help the Lions take a 4-1 win over the McMaster University Marauders in their quarter-final match at Alumni Field.

Jacovou’s scoring action began 15 minutes into the game with an assist from Cristian Cavallini, giving Jacovou his first goal of the postseason. More details.

Field hockey Lions finish fourth after narrow loss to Warriors in bronze-medal game

The York University Lions field hockey team finished in fourth place at the OUA championships after a 1-0 loss to the University of Waterloo Warriors in the bronze-medal match in Guelph, Ont., on Sunday, Oct. 27.

With a chance to put Waterloo on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the game, Taylor Goodhue received a perfect pass in front of the net, but was unable to get her stick on the ball and couldn’t get a shot off. More details.

In the semifinals, the Lions fell by a 2-1 score to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. It was the Lions who got on the board first when rookie Lexi Hannah scored her second goal of the weekend less than seven minutes into the game.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Toronto’s Hilary Ziraldo evened the score at 1-1 eight minutes later. More details.

On Friday, Oct. 25 in the quarter-final round, the Lions defeated the Western University Mustangs by a score of 3-0.

The Lions were favoured to win after defeating the Mustangs in two games in the regular season by a combined score of 12-2. Just two minutes in, rookie Alyssa Brooks picked the perfect time for her first career goal, getting the ball behind Western goalkeeper Sarah Hunter for a 1-0 advantage. More details.

Men’s volleyball Lions open season with big victory over Gaels

The York University Lions men’s volleyball team defeated the defending OUA champion Queen’s University Gaels by a score of 3-1 at the Tait McKenzie Centre in the season opener for both teams.

The game started strong with the Lions getting on the scoreboard first on a service ace from Dan Everton. Later on in the set, the Lions scored seven points in a row from Andrew Shotbolt, a service ace from Andriy Sozanskyy, Andrew Tauhid and Grant Lynch, as well as attack errors from the Gaels. More details.

Women’s hockey Lions beat Ridgebacks in home opener at Canlan

The No. 10 nationally ranked York University Lions women’s hockey team was on fire on Friday night (Oct. 25) as they beat the Ontario Tech University Ridgebacks 4-2 during an electric game at Canlan Ice Sports.

The first period was off to a deceiving start as the Ridgebacks scored just eight seconds into the game. It almost took the Lions until the end of the first period to respond with a goal of their own, courtesy of assistant captain Kelsey McHolm, with assists from Ellen Donaldson and Leah Hibbert. More details.

On Saturday night, the women’s hockey team defeated the Queen’s University Gaels with a score of 3-1, extending their winning streak to three games.

The first period started off electric with the Lions scoring first in the opening seconds of the game from forward Courtney Gardiner, assisted by Taylor Davison. The Gaels were quick to answer back with a goal of their own from Quinn Johnston, assisted by Hannah De Coutere. More details.

Women’s basketball Lions to cruise to win over Thunderbirds in home opener

The York University Lions women’s basketball team won its home opener, beating the Algoma University Thunderbirds 71-49 at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday night (Oct. 26).

York’s Emma Jonas fired the first points of the game with a three-point shot for the Lions, which was followed by a jump shot from York veteran Katrina Collins-Samuels. Other contributors in the quarter included forward Megan MacLeod with two three-pointers and forward Taylor McAlpine, who was able to contribute three points. More details.

On Thursday night (Oct. 24), the women’s basketball team fell to the Ryerson University Rams 77-59 in their season opener on the road at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

The Rams got off to a hot start in the first quarter, but the Lions held in tight. Despite going on a five-point run, Ryerson would need to call a timeout after York went up 12-8. Out of the break, Rams guard Marin Scotten hit a three pointer as her side closed out the quarter with an 18-12 lead. More details.

Men’s hockey Lions fall to Mustangs on the road in London

The York University Lions men’s hockey team suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Western University Mustangs on Saturday, Oct. 26, with a final score of 6-2 at Thompson Arena in London, Ont.

In the first period, the Lions came out roaring with the primary goal in the first five minutes of the game. Defenceman Justin Bean scored with the help of his teammates Nik Coric and Brendan Browne. More details.

On Friday night, the men’s hockey team lost 3-2 to the University of Windsor Lancers in overtime on the road at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex in Windsor, Ont.

It was in the third period when the Lancers, who fired 13 shots on goal in the final frame alone, were able to score two goals from Ian Parker and Ryan Barbosa to tie 2-2 with the Lions. More details.

Women’s volleyball Lions drop season-opening match to Gaels 

The York University Lions women’s volleyball team was defeated in their home opener by the Queen’s University Gaels at the Tait McKenzie Centre by a score of 3-1.

In the first set of the match, the Lions came out strong with an opening point on a block from rookie Wesley-Ann Bailey. Although the Lions were quick to get a lead, the Gaels came back hard with some points of their own, giving them a 6-3 lead. The Lions continued to play catch-up until they gained four points from Gaels attack errors and finally a point from Bailey. More details.

Comeback falls short in men’s basketball Lions season opener

The York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered an 80-67 defeat to the Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on Thursday night (Oct. 24).

The Lions got off to a hot start in their season opener, with Nick Russell and Tyler Pryce hitting early three pointers, but Ryerson’s Jayden Frederick kept the home side in it as the Rams closed out the first quarter 18-10. More details.

On Saturday night, the men’s basketball team lost 74-72 to the Algoma University Thunderbirds, who fought to the finish to beat the Lions by two points during the intense home opener at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Pryce opened the fourth quarter with two points, bringing the score to 58-48 for the Lions. However, the Thunderbirds responded with several consecutive points of their own, each time inching towards the Lions’ lead. More details.