The York Lions football, soccer and rugby teams will all be playing at home this weekend. Forecasted sunny skies and intense action on the field ensure some exciting days for all Lions fans who want to see their favourite teams.
The football team will be taking on the McMaster University Marauders on Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 1pm at York Stadium. The Lions are still looking for their first win of the 2009 season after falling to the University of Windsor Lancers and University of Guelph Gryphons to open the year. The McMaster Marauders began the year with a 52-21 trouncing of the University of Waterloo Warriors but suffered a disappointing 8-7 loss to the Queen’s University Gaels last weekend.
Last season, the Lions got shut out by the McMaster Marauders 53-0 on the road in Hamilton. But York is a much-improved team this year and, along with the support from a boisterous home crowd, the Lions have the ability to challenge for a win.
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams, who started out the season with matching records last weekend, will play at home again this weekend. Due to the football game at York Stadium, Saturday’s contests against the University of Western Ontario Mustangs will be at the Pine Glen Soccer Centre in Oakville. The two teams will be back at York on Sunday for games against the Windsor Lancers. The women kick off at 1pm and the men follow at 3:15pm.
Last week’s games played out in almost identical fashion for the men and women. On Saturday, both Lions squads lost 1-0 to the Brock University Badgers but rebounded with 1-0 wins over the McMaster Marauders on Sunday. Scoring for the York Lions were Ami Otaki and Franco Ruscetta, while Sarah Fiorini and Alim Karim got the shutouts.
The men were a perfect 4-0 over the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers last year. In two wins over the Windsor Lancers, the Lions crushed them by scores of 5-0 and 7-0. The scores against the Western Mustangs were closer (2-1 on both occasions) but the wins were necessary and the Lions will be looking for similar results this time around.
The women were also successful, winning both of last year's games over the Windsor Lancers by scores of 2-0 and 3-2, and blowing out the Western Mustangs 5-0 in one game and recording a tie in the other.
Rounding out the home field schedule is the women’s rugby team, which will play its home opener against the Queen’s Gaels at 1pm on Sunday. The squad began the 2009 season last week with a 43-0 loss to the McMaster Marauders.
Also on the weekend schedule is a women’s tennis match against McMaster on Sunday morning at 9am, and an exhibition women’s hockey game versus the Concordia University Stingers on Friday evening beginning at 7pm at Canlan Ice Sports York. The field hockey team opens the year with games against Guelph, Carleton and Waterloo in Ottawa, and the cross country squad will travel to Guelph for its first race of the season.