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Golden Hawks look to defend OUA title
HAMILTON, Ont. - It's now a four-team race for the Ontario
University Athletics (OUA) women's soccer title, as the Wilfrid
Laurier Golden Hawks, Ottawa Gee-Gees, York Lions and Queen's Gaels
converge on York Stadium on Saturday and Sunday to determine the
2009 champion.
The No. 7 nationally-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees (13-2-3) will face off
against the division-leading No. 6 York Lions (12-2-1) in hopes of
capturing their seventh championship title.
Ottawa could give York a run for its money, if its offence can come
together and continue to rack up the points the way they did in the
regular season. Courtney Luscombe (Ottawa),
Tara Condos (Strathroy, Ont.) and Sara
Bullock (Sault. Ste. Marie, Ont.) combined for 19 of
Ottawa's 42 goals during the regular season.
Not only is their offence strong, but Ottawa's defence isn't too
shabby either.
With defenders Nikki Moreau (Almonte, Ont.) and
Gillian Baggot (Ottawa) concentrating on shutting
down the opposing offence, goalkeeper Melissa
Pesant (Gatineau, Que.) can focus on making big saves to
keep her team ahead. In the Gee-Gees quarterfinal game against the
Toronto Varsity Blues last Saturday, Pesant proved her strength,
shutting down each and every shot from the Blues in a 1-0
victory.
The Lions completed their third straight first-place finish in the
West this season, thanks largely in part to their star offensive
player Ami Otaki (Kanagawa, Japan). The
second-year forward scored an OUA-high 14 goals in as many
games.
The threats don't stop there, though. Teammate Samantha
Gauthier (Laval, Que.) netted six goals this season, and
along with Otaki, create a dynamic duo that the Gee-Gees need to
contain.
Veteran defenders Alicia Brown (Brampton, Ont.)
and Tania Porretta (Brampton, Ont.) along with
goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini (Newmarket, Ont.) will be
the last line of defence for the Lions as they seek their second
OUA crown in three seasons, and third in five.
The No. 10 nationally-ranked Golden Hawks (10-3-2) will look to
defend their 2008 title and play for their seventh OUA banner. They
first have to get by the No. 3 Queen's Gaels in the other
semifinal.
Laurier's Ali McKee (Bracebridge, Ont.) and
Heather Malizia (Burlington, Ont.) scored nine and
eight regular season goals, respectively, and will be an offensive
force for the Golden Hawks this weekend.
Seasoned defenders Tania Pedron (Maple, Ont.) and
Erica Horner (Kitchener, Ont.), who were both part
of last year's championship team, will look to keep their opponents
in check. First-year goaltender Tristin Vogel
(Collingwood, Ont.) has been the Hawks go-to goalkeeper this season
and she's asserted herself in her first OUA season.
The East-leading Queen's Gaels will rely on Renee
MacLellan (Kingston, Ont.) as they have all season for
offensive output. The fourth-year striker finished the regular
season with 12 goals in 16 games, second in OUA only to York's
Otaki.
Supporting MacLellan on offence in the post-season are striker
Kelli Chamberlain (North Bay, Ont.) and midfielder
Angela Sullivan (Scarborough, Ont.). Both combined
for 10 goals in the regular season and Chamberlain scored the
game-winner in Queen's win over the Carleton Ravens in the
quarter-final last Saturday.
As far as defence is concerned, Queen's has no problem limiting
their opponent's offence. The mostly-rookie defensive squad allowed
just five goals past them during the regular season, the fewest of
all teams in OUA. Between defenders Victoria
Gonzalez-Milroy (Vancouver) and Brienna
Shaw (Vancouver) and goalkeepers Chantel
Marson (London, Ont.) and Elena Corry
(Hamilton, Ont.), the Gaels have a solid line of defence.
The two semi-final winners on Saturday will not only compete for an
OUA title on Sunday, but earn a berth to the CIS women's soccer
championship, Nov. 12-15, at the University of Toronto.
The semi-final losing teams will play in the OUA bronze-medal game
on Sunday at 11:30 a.m., followed by Saturday's winning teams in
the OUA final at 2 p.m. All games can be seen via webcast at SSNCanada.ca.
OUA FINAL FOUR WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
November 7, 2009
Semifinals @ York
11:30 a.m. Ottawa vs. York
2:00 p.m. Laurier vs. Queen's
November 8, 2009
Finals @ York
11:30 a.m. Semifinal Losers (Bronze Medal)
2:00 p.m. Semifinal Winners (OUA Final)
- OUA -
