University of Ottawa quarterback Derek Wendel’s four touchdown throws proved to be too much for the York University Lions football team on Saturday, Sept. 28 as the Gee-Gees spoiled York’s Homecoming with a 46-16 victory at York Stadium.
Wendel finished the game 18-of-27 for 297 yards, including the four majors. He also picked up 14 yards on the ground on one carry. He and second-year Gee-Gees wideout Andrew Mullings combined for 138 yards through the air and two scores, propelling the Gee-Gees to victory.
York running back Errol Brooks had a field day on the ground for the Lions, refusing to be tackled on his way to 199 yards and one touchdown.
Errol Brooks, centre (carrying the ball), during York’s Homecoming game
The Lions offence wasted no time, and on its second possession, and after a strong 23-yard return by Damone Williams, they found the end zone. Brooks took the ball on three straight plays, including a stunning 25-yard sprint where he made every Ottawa defender miss. His run electrified the crowd, which erupted when he capped off the effort on a two-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. More details on the York Lions website.
Kaye’s two goals lead men’s soccer Lions over Badgers
Mark-Anthony Kaye buried two goals on Sunday, Sept. 29 to lead the No. 1 nationally ranked York University Lions men’s soccer team to a 4-1 victory over the Brock University Badgers in St. Catharines, Ont.
The second-year midfielder from Toronto now has eight goals on the season, tying him with teammate Jonathan Lao for first place in the team’s ongoing points race. The two are also tied for third in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) scoring.
The win moves the Lions to 9-1-0 on the season, maintaining their three-point lead atop the OUA West standings.
The game got off to a slow start as both teams played a particularly rough contest in the early going. A costly red card in the first half left the Badgers a man down for the majority of the game, opening the door for the strong offensive attack of the Lions. More details.
The win was the team’s second of the weekend, as the Lions also knocked of the Western University Mustangs by a score of 2-1 in London, Ont., on Friday, Sept. 27.
The Mustangs got on the board first in the contest on a goal by defender Jovan Ivanovich, his first of the season, in the 19th minute. The lead was short lived, as six minutes later Lao found the back of the net to even the score at 1-1. The goal was Lao’s eighth of the season, tying him for third in OUA scoring. More details.
Strong second half propels women’s soccer Lions over Badgers
A strong second half performance by the York University Lions women’s soccer team propelled the squad to a victory on Sunday, Sept. 29, as the Lions easily handled the Brock University Badgers by a score of 4-0 in St. Catharines, Ont.
Sarah Wong produced a two-goal effort to spark the Lions offence, scoring in both the 61st and 76th minutes. Wong now has four goals on the year, tied for the team lead.
The offensive burst followed a quiet first half in which neither team could find the back of the net. Second-year striker Nour Ghoneim broke the silence in the 50th minute with the first goal of the contest to kick off the second half. It was also Ghoneim’s fourth goal of the season. More details.
Two days earlier, Ghoneim scored in the 89th minute to earn a 1-1 draw with the No. 8 nationally ranked Western University Mustangs.
After more than 84 minutes of scoreless play between the two teams, the Mustangs got on the board first on a goal by Lauren Winquist, who notched her fifth of the season.
It looked as though the Mustangs were going to win their fifth contest of the year after the late goal, but Ghoneim capitalized on a last-second scoring chance for the draw. More details.
Women’s rugby Lions use strong first half to defeat Trent Excalibur
The York University Lions women’s rugby team outscored the visiting Trent University Excalibur 26-0 in the first half en route to a dominant 48-12 victory on home field on Friday, Sept. 27.
Fourth-year fullback Zoe Smith led all players with 10 points, scoring two tries in the contest. Alexis Boltsis added another six on three conversions.
The win improved the Lions’ record to 2-2 on the season and they are third in the OUA Russell Division standings with 10 points. More details.
Easty’s two goals help field hockey Lions earn draw with Martlets
The York University Lions field hockey team began to find its stride Saturday, as veteran Anna Easty scored two goals against the McGill Martlets to ensure a draw in another day of action in Guelph, Ont. The draw followed a hard-fought loss in the morning, where the Lions fell to the third-place Western University Mustangs by a score of 3-0.
Easty opened the scoring against the Martlets just five minutes into the game on a corner. Madelaine Hutchings would answer Easty’s first goal, evening the score at 1-1 in the ninth minute off of a well-executed penalty stroke.
The two teams would grind it out over next 50 minutes until Easty notched her second goal of the game to propel the Lions to a 2-1 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as Sarah Main snuck in a goal just four minutes later to retain the draw. More details.
Cross country Lions finish 10th at New Balance Vic Matthews Open
The York University Lions men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished in 10th place in the team standings at the New Balance Vic Matthews Open in Guelph, Ont., on Saturday, Sept. 28.
The best result of the day came courtesy of Esteban Clavijo, who crossed the finish line in 33rd place in a time of 33:26 in the field of 135 runners. The mark was a new personal best time in the 10km race. Also finishing in the top 40 was Suraj Sharma, who was four spots behind Clavijo in 37th place in a time of 33:50.
The leader in the women’s race was once again rookie Maria Markovac, who has been the first York runner to cross the finish line in each of the first three races of the season. She completed the 6km race in a time of 24:05 to place 56th. More details.
Kryeziu leads Lions past Marauders
Third-year tennis player Lorent Kryeziu led the York University Lions men’s tennis team to a 5-2 victory over the McMaster University Marauders on Saturday in Hamilton, Ont. The women’s team was also successful, cruising to a 7-0 win.
The victories guaranteed both teams will compete at the OUA team tennis championships next weekend at Western University.
Kryeziu won the most thrilling singles match on the day, defeating Jake Morris 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 after being down by scores of 4-1 and 5-3 in the third set. His singles win clinched the tie for the Lions. He also secured the doubles point for the Lions, teaming with Dylan Shanmugadhasan to win 8-6 after the squads split the first two matches.
Shanmugadhasan was also victorious in singles, defeating Ryan Lau 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. More details.