The York University Lions women's soccer team travelled to the nation's capital on Saturday afternoon for the OUA semi-final, with a place in the OUA championship game – and next month's U SPORTS championship – on the line.
Standing in their way were the undefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees, who entered the semifinal with an 11–0–1 regular-season record and a 4–0 quarter-final victory over the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. For York, the matchup presented an opportunity to challenge one of the country's strongest teams and move one step closer to its first U SPORTS championship appearance in four years.
Nia Fleming-Thompson opened the scoring for the visiting Lions in the 25th minute, finishing a pass from Sabrina Fabiano for her third, and her team's third, of the playoffs to put the Lions ahead 1–0. Ottawa responded with pressure of its own, however, testing York goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips with several attempts. Phillips made important saves to keep the Gee-Gees at bay, including stops on shots from Celina Bensebaa and the nation's leading goal-getter, Sabrina Mangiaracina.
Ottawa eventually found its equalizer in the 42nd minute. Mangiaracina converted a pass from Adriane Devlin to bring the score level at 1–1 heading into halftime. The goal marked another contribution from the Gee-Gees' leading scorer, who had already recorded 16 goals during the regular season and two more in the quarter-final win over Ontario Tech.
Ottawa continued to apply pressure after the break, creating opportunities through Gracie Somers, Erica Tsang and Clare Sun. Phillips remained busy in the York net, making two more saves in the second half, including a stop on a header from Sun in the 59th minute.
However, the Gee-Gees grabbed the lead 74th minute when Bensebaa scored an unassisted goal to give Ottawa a 2–1 advantage. The Lions were given a glimmer of hope shortly thereafter when Bensebaa received a red card in the 78th minute, leaving Ottawa with 10 players for the remainder of the match.
York looked to take advantage of the numerical difference and pushed for an equalizer in the closing stages. Samantha Banfield sent an attempt wide in the 80th minute, while Jasmyn Clarke forced Ottawa goalkeeper Laura Salgado into a save with a header in the 86th. The Lions continued to search for an opening, earning late corner kicks, but could not find the back of the net before the final whistle.
Ottawa finished with 16 shots, seven on target, compared with York's nine shots and five on target. Phillips recorded five saves for the Lions, while Salgado made four for the Gee-Gees.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The semifinal defeat brings York's 2026 postseason run to an end, while Ottawa moves on after maintaining its unbeaten record. Despite falling short of a place in the OUA final, the Lions pushed one of the conference's strongest teams throughout the contest and kept the match within reach until the closing minutes. They will shift their focus to 2027 as they look to remain among the top teams in the OUA.
