York University Lions soccer player Jonathan Lao and tennis player Nikki Carnovale were named the Muscle MLK male and female Lions of the Week, respectively, for the period ending Sept. 19.
 
Lao, an economics student from Unionville, Ont., scored the winning goal in the 90^th minute to give the No. 1 Lions a 2-1 victory over the No. 9 Guelph Gryphons on Sunday afternoon on the road.
 
The fourth-year midfielder put his 25-yard free kick over the wall and right into the back of the net just moments before the final whistle to complete the comeback after his team went down by a goal early in the second half. He finished the weekend, that also included a 2-0 win over McMaster on Saturday, with four shots and two shots on goal to help the Lions maintain their perfect record at 7-0-0 and hand two of their closest rivals losses.
 
Lao, a CIS all-Canadian in each of his first three seasons with the Lions, has two goals on the season.
 
Carnovale, a kinesiology and health science student from Woodbridge, Ont., helped the Lions start the season on a winning note by claiming victory in doubles and singles in a 6-1 win over the Western Mustangs on Sunday.
 
Playing alongside rookie Claudia Poluga in the top doubles spot, they fought off three match points and came back to win the tiebreaker 7-5 to take the match 8-7. She also played in the top singles spot and cruised to a lopsided victory, winning 6-1, 6-2.
 
Carnovale is the reigning OUA player of the year and was an OUA all-star as a rookie last season, and her play extended York's regular season unbeaten streak to 18 ties.
 
The men's tennis team will continue its road trip next weekend when the squad heads west to Windsor, Ont., and London, Ont., for back-to-back games against the Windsor Lancers and Western Mustangs, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday. The tennis team, meanwhile, will be at home for a trio of ties against Montreal, Toronto and Carleton.
 
York's athletes of the week awards are presented by Muscle MLK and all recipients will receive a Muscle MLK prize pack.