Both the women's and men's York University Lions soccer teams looked to pick up where they left off on Saturday in Sunday's rematch against the Algoma Thunderbirds. With both of York's teams coming off wins, they were determined to strengthen their grasp around the top of the standings. Conditions were overcast and slippery in Sault Ste. Marie as the teams took the pitch, with rain beginning to fall shortly after the start whistle.  Women's Match:
York netted their first goal of the match in the first two minutes of the game, courtesy of Nia Fleming-Thompson, getting up to an aggressive start offensively. She continued her case for Lions player of the week by netting her second goal of the game less than ten minutes later, and then later in the half completing the hat trick with her third goal. The Lions then scored two more back-to-back goals within seconds off kicks by Amelia Joseph and Sabrina Fabiano, continuing their offensive flurry. Right before the close of the half, Fleming-Thompson scored her fourth goal of the game, her sixth in two games, putting the Lions up 6-0 at halftime.
The Lion's offence refused to slow down in the second half, extending their already large lead. Isabel Guido tapped one in fifteen minutes into the second half. Minutes later, Hope Windebank knocked a rebound off Algoma's goalkeeper's hands into the net, which was her third of the weekend, pushing York to an 8-0 lead. Right after, York's Maia Torelli tapped in yet another Lions goal off a cross pass from the corner of the pitch. A beautiful penalty kick by Kalifornia Mitchell through the top corner of the net then pushed York to a double-digit lead over the Thunderbirds. Later, Guido knocked in her second of the game into the left side of the net, and Alexandra Quaidoo knocked in one of her own to cap off a huge 12-0 win for the Lions. The women's team had an elite performance on both sides of the ball to push their record to 5-1-2 on the season.  Men's Match:
The men's team was shocked by an early goal from the Thunderbirds scored by Elliot Swenarchuk, quickly putting the Lions down 1-0. Moments later, a blistering volley from Algoma's Jaden Timmis off a corner kick also found the back of the net, putting the Thunderbirds up two. The Lions responded back with a goal from Matthew Medeiros, escaping an offside call to cut the lead in half. This remained the difference after the first forty-five minutes of the match, with York needing to come out with a more explosive second half.
York started the half with heavy offensive pressure but struggled with capitalizing on opportunities. Algoma sealed the win with a late goal in the final minute of the game from Christopher Olungwe that snuck past the goalkeeper, putting the Thunderbirds up 3-1. Despite multiple chances, the Lions were not able to pull off second half heroics the way they typically have throughout the season. Algoma's defence held strong until the final whistle, handing York their first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1-2 on the season. Looking Ahead: Both York Lions soccer teams will return home to host the Windsor Lancers at York Lions Stadium on Friday, September 27th. The women's match is set for 6:00pm, while kick-off for the men's match will be at 8:15pm, with coverage available for both on OUA.TV.