The York University Lions football team went head-to-head with the Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium, hoping to earn their third win of the season.
Moving above .500 would not only restore momentum after last week's loss to the Carleton Ravens but also ease their path to the playoffs. This was the Lions' chance to distinguish themselves in the top half of the standings.The Lions entered play at 2–2, while the Gaels carried a 3–2 record and a two-game winning streak into this one.
The Lions greeted the Gaels with tight coverage early, forcing several incomplete passes from Alex Vreeken. That forced Queen's to settle for three off the foot of Tyler Mullan, who hit a 29-yard field goal to put Queen's on the board first, 3–0. Later, the Gaels Russell Weir was able to cleanly weave through the Lions' defence for a 94-yard touchdown. That extended the Gaels' lead to 10–0. At the close of the first quarter, Queen's held a 12–0 advantage.
In the second quarter, there was still room for a York comeback. The Lions showed grit, but the Gaels struck again. After a pass to Jared Chisari, he powered through the defence into the end zone, pushing Queen's to a 19-point lead.
After Queen's conceded a safety to make it 19-2, Nathan Falconi went 79 yards on a deep pass from Vreeken, sprinting straight into the end zone, giving the Gaels with a 26-2 lead. Late in the half, a Keagan Hall pass was intercepted by Keegan Vanek. That led to a Cedric Smith touchdown, extending the lead to 33-2.
The Gaels got down to the Lions 1-yard line on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Vreeken found Falconi, who trudged into the endzone, making it 40-2. The Lions scored their first offensive points of the day on a 34-yard field goal to make it 40-5. Another Mullan field goal increased the lead to 43-5 after three.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chasari scored again for the Gaels gets another touchdown for the Gaels, before Falcon's third score of the day made it a 57-5 final in favour of the Gaels.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions will now prepare for a crucial game next week that could go a long way toward determining their playoff hopes, as they visit the Waterloo Warriors next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm and can be streamed live on OUA.tv.
