On a cloudy Friday evening at York Lions Stadium, the York University Lions soccer teams matched up against the Waterloo Warriors, in the final games of York's three-game season opening homestand. The Lions women's team came in looking for their first win of the season following two consecutive draws, while the men's team hoped to keep their undefeated streak alive and push their record on the season to 3-0.
Women's Match:
The Lions started the game with heavy offensive pressure in the first half, controlling the majority of ball possession against the Warriors. Nia Fleming-Thompson, York's female athlete of the week for the period ending Sept. 1, buried a shot in the back left of the net in the 6th minute of the game to open the scoring. Minutes later, Sabrina Fabiano knocked in a header off a cross by Keira Kent that glanced off the back of the post and into the net, continuing York's offensive frenzy. On the other side, The Lions defensive front held strong, thwarting Waterloo's few scoring chances in the opening half.
York was content to nurse its lead in the second half, continuing their strong defensive hold and keeping the Warriors away getting back in it. Near the midway point in the half, a blistering shot by Breanne Desa nearly extended York's lead to 3-0, but instead smacked off the crossbar. The Lions defence continued to hold all the way through the final whistle, including three minutes of extra time, solidifying York's first win of the season, an impressive 2-0 win over Waterloo.
Men's Match:
Things began to cool off considerably as the men's match began, a brisk breeze filling the air. The first half was an extremely fast-paced affair, with both teams flying across the pitch and having multiple close scoring chances. The Lions maintained the majority of possession throughout the half, but couldn't capitalize on the scoreboard. The game was scoreless until Waterloo's Adam Poradzisz was Johnny on the spot to knock home a ball that glanced off York goalkeeper Alessio Carbone's hands, putting the Warriors up 1-0 at halftime.
Play remained physical in the second 45, to the tune of a yellow card foul committed by Waterloo's Matheus Mello. The Warriors doubled their lead near the hour mark, as captain Nikolas Antolcic knocked in the Warriors second goal off a beautifully-placed feed by Noah Medeiros.
That goal proved to be crucial, as York drew a penalty kick in the 88th minute, when Justin Cicchillo was taken down from behind in the box. Christian Zeppieri stepped up to the spot to take the free kick, and managed to sneak it off the keeper's fingertips and into the net to cut the Waterloo lead in half. With Waterloo clinging to a one-goal lead in extra time, York stormed down the field in the final seconds and netted the tying goal goal. A ball into the box was headed on goal by second-half substitution Daniel Avila. That was stopped, but Avila stuck with it and buried the rebound. The thrilling scene was the final one on this night in North York, as the match finished with a score of 2-2.
LOOKING AHEAD: Both of the Lions squads are set for an away rematch against the Warriors on September 8th, 2024. The men's game is scheduled for 6:00 pm, while the women's game is set for 8:15p m, both taking place at Warrior Field IN Waterloo.
