The York Lions field hockey team is headed to Vancouver for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championship this week. The squad finished second in the Ontario University Athletics championship final, losing 1-0 against the top-ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues. The team will have a chance at redemption in their first match at the championship, when they face the Blues for the fourth time this year.
Prior to their loss in the OUA final, the Lions fell 1-0 and tied the Blues 2-2 in two regular season meetings. York enters the CIS Championship as the No. 5 seed. The Lions open play against the Blues at 3:30pm on Thursday. The squad will also face No. 4 Alberta, No. 3 Victoria and No. 1 UBC in round-robin play. The teams with the top two records in the round robin will vie for the national championship at 1pm on Sunday.
The women’s soccer Lions will defend their OUA title this weekend when they travel to Queen’s for the OUA Final Four. York won twice last week in the playoffs, defeating Waterloo 1-0 before dispatching the McMaster Marauders 1-0 in a shootout. Goaltender Aurelea Gumiela (right) continued her dominance in goal, helping the Lions extend their undefeated shutout streak to 10 games.
Against the Waterloo Warriors, Gumiela made three saves as the Lions advanced to the OUA quarterfinal. In the shootout victory over the Marauders, the fourth-year goaltender made five saves in regulation and an outstanding save on the first McMaster penalty kick as York went on to win 3-1 on kicks. For her efforts, Gumiela is this week’s Athlete of the Week. Up next for the Lions is a date with the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA semifinal on Saturday. The top three teams in the OUA will qualify for the CIS Championship in Victoria. In men’s soccer, the team did not fare as well, as the Lions’ season came to an end after falling 1-0 to McMaster in the first round of post-season play.
On the ice, the York Lions women’s hockey team earned a huge upset, topping the No. 3-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 Sunday night. Melanie Quinn was outstanding between the pipes for York, making 24 saves for her third win of the season. York’s Mandy Cole scored once and added an assist, while Jessica Turi scored the game-winner mid-way through the third period.
The Lions have two tough tests this week. On Wednesday, the team plays host to the Toronto Jr. Aeros in an exhibition contest. On Saturday, the Lions resume league play when they tangle with the No. 7-ranked Toronto Varsity Blues. On the men’s hockey side, the York Lions picked up their third-straight victory last week when they defeated the host Windsor Lancers 7-3 on Friday. The Lions used strong goaltending and balanced scoring to win the game. Kevin Druce made 47 saves in goal for York, while six different skaters, each under to points, recorded the win. York continues league play this week when it faces Western on the road before returning home for a Saturday afternoon tilt with Waterloo.
In volleyball, both the men’s and women’s teams won twice last week. For the men, fifth-year middle Ryan Anderson led the squad in kills in both contests, helping York defeat Laurier 3-1 and Waterloo 3-0. On the women’s side, the squad played to a 3-1 win over the Warriors before defeating the Golden Hawks in three sets. This weekend, the teams entertain Windsor and Western Mustangs at the Tait McKenzie Centre. The women begin play at 6pm on Friday against the Lancers followed by the men’s game at 8pm. And on Saturday, the women take on the Western Mustangs at 6pm, and the men hit the court at 8pm.
The Lions badminton team prepares for its final match-up of the regular season this week when they play host to the Waterloo Warriors at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Saturday. Last week, the team fell 9-4 to the defending OUA champion Western Mustangs. Yearnny Tam (right) has been perfect for the Lions this year, winning all of his matches thus far. Against the Mustangs, Tam improved to 8-0 after winning both contests. Tam is this week’s Athlete of the Week winner after collecting his first singles victory of the year and pairing with Aiden Lim to defeat the top Western duo in pairs play.
The Lions men’s water polo team had a successful trip to Queen’s, winning two of three matches over the weekend. Against the host Gaels, the Lions won 15-8 and 15-11. Their only setback came against Carleton, 14-8. The women’s team did not fare as well, dropping a 17-9 decision to Queen’s and a 16-5 outcome to Carleton. The teams continue league play with a mid-week meeting with the Toronto Varsity Blues on Wednesday.
The cross country Lions runners hit the hills of Kingston this past weekend for the OUA Championships. Both the men’s and women’s team finished 11th. Leading the men was Yuestas David with a 41st-place result, while Fiona Turner was the top women’s finisher in 28th position.
York’s basketball squads continued exhibition play this past week. The women’s team had an outstanding showing at the inaugural Canadian Basketball Invitational Tournament (CBIT), claiming second place. Led by tournament all-star Laura MacCallum, the Lions defeated Montmorency 69-64 and Guelph 72-61, before losing the title game 66-58 against Cape Breton. York begins league play this weekend when the team travels to Laurentian to face the Voyageurs. On the men’s side, the Lions fell 84-70 to Laurier. This week, the team heads south to wrap up exhibition play against the NCAA’s Middle Tennessee State and Murray State.
This story was submitted to YFile by Stephen Reid, sport & recreation information assistant in York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Faculty of Health.