Emily Goodwin | Editor-in-Chief
Featured Image: Marcus Brooks (from left), Christopher Jacovou, and Lucas Puntillo celebrate during Friday’s match against Western. | Courtesy of Jeremy Zheng/York Lions
The York Lions men’s soccer team had a successful weekend at home, winning both of their games and keeping their opponents scoreless. On Friday, September 13, the Lions hosted the Western Mustangs and enjoyed a triumphant victory with a final score of 4-0. Two days later the Lions welcomed the Brock Badgers to Alumni Field and defeated them 3-0.
Friday’s game against the Mustangs saw the Lions score early on in the game. Midfielder Lucas Puntillo found the back of the Mustangs’ net off a pass from teammate Christopher Jacovou. The Lions came alive after halftime, with midfielder Jorgo Nika scoring two back-to-back goals two minutes apart. Nika’s first goal was assisted by defender Josh Kiselyov, and his second goal was unassisted. The Lions’ fourth and final goal of the match came from Dieu Merci Yuma thanks to a stellar pass from Vaughan Bianchi.
In the match against the Brock Badgers, the Lions got off to an early lead scoring all three of their goals in the first half. Yuma found the back of the Badgers’ net on his own in the 15 minutes of play. Four minutes later, midfielder Cristian Cavallini found similar success and added the Lions’ second goal. Forward Soji Olatoye scored his first goal of the season with three minutes remaining in the opening half. The Badgers stepped up their defensive game in the second half only allowing the Lions to make two shots on net, both of which were unsuccessful for the Lions. However, the Badgers had no luck breaking through to the Lions’ net, and the game ended 3-0 in favour of the Lions.
The Lions now sit atop the OUA West standings with a 4-0-1 season record, two points above the second-place Guelph Gryphons. The Lions are also holding the third place spot in the U SPORT national rankings.
The Lions will be on the road for their next four games. They will return to Alumni Field on Sunday, October 6 at 8:15 p.m. when they host the Waterloo Warriors.
