A day after securing berths in their respective national championship tournaments, the York Lions men’s and women’s soccer teams added provincial titles to their resumés.
For the first time in school history, both Lions soccer teams have won the Ontario Universtiy Athletics (OUA) championship in the same year.
Right: York women’s Lions celebrate their championship in Ottawa on Sunday
The Lions women’s team defeated the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, 2-1, on penalty kicks on Sunday in the OUA final at York Stadium, while York beat the Western Mustangs, 3-2, in penalty kicks in the OUA men’s championship game, in Ottawa.
Douglas Sereti, in regulation, and Francesco Bruno, in the first overtime, scored for the Lions before they won 4-2 in penalty kicks to claim their first OUA men’s title since 1977.
Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) scoring leader Stefania Morra scored in regulation time for the Lions women before they won 3-2 in penalty kicks to take home their second OUA championship in the past three years.
The Lions women are off to Cape Breton, NS, for the nationals this week, while the men are heading to Vancouver. Both teams play sudden-death quarter-final games Thursday.
York’s women (16-1) square off against the Atlantic runner-up Dalhousie Tigers (11-3-1) on Thursday at 6pm. York’s men (14-1-2) meet the Atlantic runner-up Saint Mary’s Huskies (9-2-4) on Thursday at 7:30pm.
With the wins Sunday, York increased its OUA championship total to three this season, the highest total since 1998-1999 when the Lions captured three provincial crowns. The men’s tennis team won an OUA title earlier this year.
Check the Sport York Web site all this week for full coverage of the Lions in CIS national-championship action.
Story submitted to YFile by Mike Koreen, sport & recreation information officer in York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health.