An goal in minute 84 by Jon Alec Duenas was all the York University Lions men’s soccer team needed to record a 1-0 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the fifth-place match at the 2019 U SPORTS Men’s Soccer Championships in Montreal.
Duenas’ goal came at the end of a pretty passing play that began with Merci Yuma. He passed the ball to his right to Gianfranco Gileppo, who then sent it towards the front of the net. The ball just missed the foot of Milan Beader right in front of the goalkeeper, but Duenas was coming up the far side and easily tapped it in for the lone goal of the game. More details on the York Lions website.
A day earlier, three goals in an 18-minute span was just enough for the men’s soccer team to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos by a 3-2 score in their consolation semifinal match.
Trailing 1-0 at the half, the Lions began applying significant pressure when the second half began and controlled play for large stretches of time. They were finally rewarded in the 61st minute. More details.
On Thursday night, the Université de Montréal Carabins took their first step towards defending their national title with a 2-0 victory over the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finalist men’s soccer team in front of more than 1,500 boisterous fans.
The Lions dropped to the consolation side of the draw for the fourth straight year while the Carabins were still in the running for their second straight banner. More details.
Women’s soccer Lions fall to Carabins 2-0 in consolation semifinal
The York University Lions women’s soccer team fell to the Université de Montréal Carabins 2-0 on Friday in their consolation semifinal at the 2019 U SPORTS championship in Victoria.
The first half featured plenty of back-and-forth action between the two sides. The Lions’ best attempt in the frame came in the 39th minute off a trademark Jotam Chouhan free-kick that was desperately saved by Carabins keeper Catherine Langelier. More details.
On Thursday morning, the Lions fell to the Acadia University Axewomen 2-1 in their U SPORTS championship quarter-final matchup in Victoria.
Kendra Saxton got the scoring going early for the Lions after she tapped in a beautiful through pass from midfielder Vanessa Salvaggio that cut through the defence in the ninth minute. Despite the lead, the first half remained tense with the Axewomen refusing to go away, but the Lions headed into halftime up 1-0. More details.
Cross country Lions close out season with tough conditions at U SPORTS championship
The York University Lions cross country team battled tough conditions, as well as the nation’s best, as they competed at the 2019 U SPORTS championship in Kingston, Ont., on Saturday morning.
It was the first national appearance for the squad in 15 seasons, and on the heels of their top-10 finish at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, the team looked poised to add more success to their year.
First-year Lions runner Carmen Krawczynski Gonzalez led the way for her squad as she has all season, placing 89th overall in the 8km distance running 31:10. She finished 13th among all U SPORTS rookies, as well as 36th against OUA competitors – better than her 39th place finish at the OUA championship, all while dropping her personal best by 16 seconds. More details.
Women’s hockey Lions win seventh straight game with 4-2 victory over Mustangs
On Saturday, the No. 7 nationally ranked York University Lion’s Women’s hockey team defeated the Western Mustangs with a score of 4-2 at the Canlan Ice Arena.
The Lions came out strong, playing incredible offence and even better defence. In the first five minutes of the game, Tayler Murphy had a fantastic wrist shot that just went wide of the net – followed by an incredible defensive play by Kelsey McHolm. Mustangs’ forward Sydnee Baker went on a breakaway that was swiftly stopped by Lauren Dubie. More details.
On Thursday, the women’s hockey team beat the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks by a massive 4-1 margin at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
Murphy opened the game with a goal assisted by captain Erin Locke and Caroline Eagles. Their first goal was soon followed by a second, this time from third-year forward Ellen Donaldson, assisted by Leah Hibbert and Madison Davey. Laurier was then able to get a goal with minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions triumph over Warriors 84-72 for third win of season
On Sunday, the York University Lions women’s basketball team picked up their third win of the season against the University of Waterloo Warriors 84-72 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions came out hard in the first quarter, causing a lot of turnovers and gaining fouls. The Lions saw even scoring from their line-up – Katrina Collins-Samuels led the team with five points in the quarter, while Cyanna King poured in four of her own. Megan Stewart and Jada Codrington each dropped a three-pointer ending the first 19-17 for the Lions. More details.
On Wednesday night, the Lions were narrowly defeated by the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 52-51, at home.
In the final minute of the game, both teams jostled for the win, but a Lions’ foul allowed the Golden Hawks to take the game with two free throws in the dying minutes.
In the first quarter, the Lions came out roaring scoring six points in a row from Emma Jonas, Collins-Samuels and Alysha Pinck. They took control of the game early, keeping the Golden Hawks at bay, finishing the first quarter up 14-6. More details.
Men’s volleyball Lions defeat Badgers in five sets
The York University Lions men’s volleyball team beat the Brock University Badgers 3-2 on Saturday afternoon, giving the Lions their second win of the season.
It was the fifth set that secured the win for the Lions. The Badgers opened up with four points in a row, taking an early 4-0 lead. York’s Andrew Shotbolt shot down the Badgers’ streak by throwing down a kill, finally putting the Lions on the scoreboard. By the mid-way point, the Badgers were leading 8-6. More details.
Come back falls short for men’s basketball Lions in loss against Waterloo
On Sunday, the York University Lions men’s basketball team suffered a narrow loss to the University of Waterloo Warriors 70-69 at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
Both teams came out hard playing strong, resulting in a tie score early in the quarter. Prince Kamunga blocked, forced a turnover and scored a basket to help the Lions take an early lead, ending the first 21-13. More details.
On Wednesday night, the men’s basketball team fell to the No. 7 nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 92-84 at Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Lions came out strong, gaining the lead early over the Golden Hawks with points from DeAndrae Pierre, Kamunga and Somto Dimanochie. The Golden Hawks were quick on their tails, scoring baskets of their own from Kemel Archer and a three-pointer from Ali Sow to take the lead. The teams were neck and neck in the first quarter and ended it tied 23-23. More details.
Women’s volleyball Lions fall to No. 7 Badgers after hard-fought game
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team lost 3-1 to the No. 7 nationally ranked Brock University Badgers on Saturday afternoon after a hard-fought game.
The Lions started off very strong, taking the first set of the game. It was York’s Kayla Clennon who provided the Lions with their first point of the game after the Badgers garnered their first point as a result of a service error. This would be the first of 22.5 points for Clennon throughout the game. More details.
Men’s hockey Lions fall 4-3 on the road to RMC
The York University Lions men’s hockey team lost 4-3 to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins on Friday night in Kingston, Ont.
It was just after the first minute of play when the Paladins were able to score a goal on the Lions during a power play. They then followed their goal with a second one to take an early 2-0 lead on the Lions in the early stages of the first period.
It was all Lions in the second half of the period with Alex Mowbray scoring York’s first goal, assisted by Brandon Yeamans and Justin Bean. York captain Scott Feser picked up the Lions second, assisted by Xavier Pouliot and Jeremy Lucchini, which tied the game 2-2 for the teams by the end of the first. More details.