The York Lions men’s and women’s basketball teams host Laurier on Friday in both squad’s 2006-2007 regular season home opener. The No. 6-ranked women’s squad, 2-1 on the year, battles Laurier at 6pm at the Tait McKenzie Centre on York’s Keele campus. The men’s team, 1-1 on the year, will tip-off at 8pm against the Golden Hawks. Both squads also host Waterloo at the same time on Saturday.
The women’s basketball team returns home after splitting a pair of road games this past weekend. The Lions lost 71-64 to Brock on Friday before rebounding with a 71-68 victory at Guelph on Saturday. York has a 3-2 regular season record against Laurier since 2001-2002, while the Lions have won three of their last five meetings with Waterloo.
The men’s basketball squad also split a pair of road games this past weekend. York lost 96-85 to Brock on Friday before defeating Guelph, 81-66, on Saturday. Against the Laurier Golden Hawks last season, Lions captain Jordan Foebel had a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds as York won 78-57. Against Waterloo Warriors, the Lions captured a narrow 75-74 road win.
The women’s soccer team had a successful weekend at the 2006 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) 
National Championship in Victoria, BC, posting York’s best-ever result. On Friday, the Lions upset the Canada West Champion Trinity Western Spartans, 1-0 in overtime, to advance to the medal round. In the semi-finals on Saturday, York lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to their Ontario University Athletics rival the Queen’s Golden Gaels. Sunday, the team fell 2-0 to Ottawa in the bronze medal game, finishing fourth. Captain Jodie Williams (right), this week’s female athlete of the week, was named CIS Player of the Game in York’s final two games at the championship. The fourth-year defender was also honoured as a first team CIS all-Canadian.
The men’s hockey team split a pair of games at home this weekend. The Lions lost 2-1 to the No. 3-ranked McGill Redmen on Friday, before rebounding with a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Saturday. The squad travels to Quebec this weekend for games with University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières on Friday and Concordia on Saturday.
Right: Matt Passfield from the York Lions men’s hockey team
Women’s hockey wasn’t able to pull off a second upset over Laurier on Saturday, losing 4-2 to the No. 3-ranked Golden Hawks. Earlier this year, the Lions upset the top-ranked squad, 2-1, giving Laurier its first loss of the season. York plays two games this week. The team hosts Guelph on Friday at 7:30pm at Canlan Ice Sports Arena at York before heading to London for a 4pm showdown at Western on Sunday.
The men’s and women’s volleyball teams split a pair of road games this weekend. The women, led by Elizabeth Salas’ 14 kills, beat Guelph 3-1 on Saturday before falling to McMaster, 3-0, on Sunday. Paul Podstawaka led the men’s team with 17 kills in a 3-0 win over Guelph on Saturday. The next day, the squad lost 3-0 to McMaster. Both teams return to the friendly confines of the Tait McKenzie Centre this weekend for matches with Queen’s and the Royal Military College. On Saturday, the women host the Golden Gaels at 12pm, followed by the men at 2pm. Sunday, the Lions face the RMC Paladins at 12 and 2pm.
After posting a 0-1-1 record this weekend, the women’s water polo prepares for games against McMaster and Toronto. McMaster is 6-1 on the year, while Toronto has not won a game this season. This past weekend, the Lions tied Queen’s 10-10 before losing 17-7 to Carleton.
The men’s water polo team went 1-1 on the road this weekend, losing 16-2 to Carleton and defeating Western, 20-9. Ryan Ford, this week’s male athlete of the week, had six goals in York’s two games, including five against the Mustangs. The first-year Lion leads the team in scoring with 33 goals on the year, good enough for third in the OUA. This week, York travels to McMaster for a showdown with the 7-2 Marauders in Hamilton on Friday.
This story was submitted to YFile by Kimberly Moser, communications and promotions officer for Sport & Recreation in York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health.