Emily Goodwin | Editor-in-Chief
Featured Image: Joselyn Gagliardi (left) blows past the Warriors during Sunday’s match. | Courtesy of York Lions
The Lions women’s and men’s soccer teams have been busy this past week, taking on McMaster and Brock in road matches and Waterloo at Alumni Field Sunday night. The Lions didn’t lose a single game, with the women’s team winning all three of their matches and the men’s team winning two and taking a draw against McMaster.
The women’s team has found their groove and scored more goals with each passing game this past week. They defeated the McMaster Marauders for the second time this season 1-0 on Wednesday. Leading Lions scorer Kiyani Johnson scored the lone goal of the game in the final minute of play, and Farkhunda Muhtaj had the assist.
They then travelled to St. Catharines to take on the Brock Badgers on Saturday where they took down their opponents 2-1. Second-year Kalifornia Mitchell scored the Lions’ first goal early in the second half, but the Lions’ lead was short lived. Sydney Sica scored unassisted for the Badgers at the 59 minute mark, and the two teams remained in a 1-1 tie until Lions midfielder Haley Walsh found the back of the Badger’s net with eight minutes remaining.
The Lions returned home the following day to take on the Waterloo Warriors, who they easily defeated 3-0. After 35 minutes of play, Mitchell found the back of the Warriors’ net to put the Lions in the lead at halftime. Joselyn Gagliardi scored her first goal as a Lion early in the second half, and Johnson capitalized on a pass from Catherine Umolac late in the half for the Lions third consecutive win.
On the men’s side, they got off to a rocky start when they were unable to best the Marauders the same way they did at their last contest. Despite best efforts on both sides, neither team was able to score and they walked off the pitch at Wednesday’s match tied 0-0.
The Lions had more success when they paid a visit to the Badgers, scoring five goals while keeping the Badgers away from their net. Three of the Lions’ goals were scored in the first half, with Cristian Cavallini being the first to score, followed by Dieu Merci Yuma and Vaughan Bianchi in the 34 and 43 minute marks respectively. After halftime, the Badgers stepped up their defensive efforts and the Lions were unable to get a successful shot in until the 78 minute mark when Christopher Jacovou finally broke through to add the Lions fourth goal. In the final minute of the match, Milan Beader added another for the Lions for a 5-0 final score.
They found a tougher opponent in the Warriors on Sunday, only winning by one point while Lions goalkeeper Mike Argyrides made three saves to keep the Warriors scoreless. Cavellini scored the only goal of the match with the assistance of Yuma late in the first half. The Lions had seven other chances to score, but just couldn’t find the sweet spot.
This successful weekend for the Lions greatly improved their overall placing the OUA West division. The women’s team now sits in third with 19 points and 5-1-4 record, while the men’s team is tied with Guelph for first with 24 points and 7-0-3 for the season.
The Lions will remain at home this Saturday, October 11 to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks at with kick-off at 11 a.m. for the women and 1:15 p.m. for the men. They will then travel to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the Algoma Thunderbirds on Sunday.
