The York University Lions men’s soccer team fell by a score of 2-1 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the consolation final at the U Sports championships in Guelph, Ont., on Saturday evening.
The game was a battle between the last two national champions in a contest neither expected to be in when the tournament started on Thursday. It was a tale of two halves, as the Lions dominated the first and the Thunderbirds controlled the second. The two squads finished with 10 shots apiece, with York recording seven of theirs in the first half and UBC nine in the second half. More details on the York Lions website.
The Lions ended up in the consolation side of the draw after a 2-0 loss to the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
The Lions had several scoring chances throughout the match but could not capitalize when they got the ball in close, and on the other end of the pitch the Bears converted two free kicks into goals to claim the victory. More details.
As part of the tournament, the Lions also earned a 4-1 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the consolation semifinals on Friday.
The win marked the second time in as many weeks the Lions have knocked off their cross-town rivals after last week’s 1-0 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinal win. Midfielder Ryan Telfer was named York's player of the match after scoring two goals. He was also the player of the match in Thursday’s quarter-final. More details.
Duncan-Thibault leads men’s volleyball Lions in five-set thriller over Blues
Alex Duncan-Thibault scored a remarkable 30 points to lead the York University Lions men’s volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues at the Goldring Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The two squads traded sets throughout the match. The first set was the most lopsided, with the Lions taking it 25-18, but the Blues came back to win the second 25-21. The Lions took the third and the Blues came back to take the fourth by matching 25-23 scores, and then the Lions finally put it away in the fifth at 15-10. More details.
One day earlier, the Lions picked up their first win of the season with a straight-sets victory over the Ryerson University Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
In the first set, it took until the technical timeout for either team to pull ahead by more than two points, and the Lions led 16-13. They continued to roll from there, eventually taking the first set 25-19. More details.
Milner scores in double OT for thrilling men’s hockey win over Patriotes
Greg Milner scored 55 seconds into the second overtime period to lead the York University Lions men’s hockey team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the defending champion Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes at Canlan Ice Sports on Friday night.
The final goal capped a wild finish to a game that saw only one goal scored through the first two and a half periods, and then three in a six-minute span to close out the contest. More details.
One night later, the No. 6 nationally ranked Concordia University Stingers edged the Lions by a score of 3-2 at Canlan Ice Sports.
York seemed comfortable from the very second the puck dropped as they moved the puck into Concordia's end swiftly and often to create opportunities to score. The pressing paid off early in the period as Nathan Larson scored at 5:12. The goal was set up when Steven Janes received a pass from Connor Hale and fired it to Larson, who was just waiting in the near slot to poke the puck in. Time eventually expired and the Lions entered into the second period with a 1-0 lead. More details.
Frederick’s career game leads men’s basketball Lions over Gaels
Jayden Frederick scored a career-high 27 points to lead the York University Lions men’s basketball team to an 83-74 victory over the Queen’s University Gaels in their season opener at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.
Fans adorned in red crammed into the stands to watch their Lions, many of whom are fresh faces, set out on their 2016-17 campaign.
The Gaels won the opening tip-off but surely would not win the opening quarter. The Lions seemed to be in a league of their own behind the arc as they peppered a Gaels defence that dared them to take shots from deep. More details.
Women’s basketball Lions begin season with loss to No. 6 Gaels
The York University Lions women’s basketball team opened the 2016-17 season at home with an 85-54 loss to the No. 6 nationally ranked Queen’s University Gaels at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday night.
The opening tip turned the keys to ignite the new season and the Lions were eager to see where their ride would take them. They were in tough against a talented Queen’s squad that opened the season in the national rankings, and the Gaels displayed great ball movement and aggressiveness for second chance points in all four quarters. The first quarter would end with a score of 18-15 in favour of the Gaels. More details.
Lancers double up on women’s hockey Lions
The York University Lions women’s hockey team suffered a 4-2 defeat to the University of Windsor Lancers in a Saturday afternoon affair at South Windsor Arena in Windsor, Ont.
The Lancers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first period of play, including scoring twice in the first 3:01 of the game on goals by Taylor Conte and Emily Bowman. Their third goal of the frame came at 15:55, by Erinn Noseworthy on a power play.
It didn't take long for the Lions to get back into the game in the second as defender Taylor Davison scored just 1:52 into the period also on a power play, with assists to Jenna Gray and Avery Reeves. More details.
Defending champs take down women’s volleyball Lions in straight sets
The York University Lions women’s volleyball team was defeated in straight sets by the defending OUA and CIS champion and No. 3 nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon at the Goldring Centre.
The Lions kept each set close but could not find a way to get past the dominant Blues. Toronto won the sets 25-23, 25-19, 25-23. Second-year outside hitter Sarah Williams led the Lions with 13 points on 10 kills, two service aces and one block. More details.
As part of their weekend schedule, the Lions were also swept in straight sets by the Ryerson University Rams. The match was a lopsided affair through the first two sets as the Rams won 25-10 and 25-11 for a quick two-set lead.
The Lions rebounded in the third set, however, with a much stronger showing. They came back from being down 5-2 and 16-14 to be tied at 26-26. But the Rams won back-to-back points from there, on a pair of kills, to take the set 28-26 and win the match. More details.