The York Lions men’s soccer team took on the Laurier Golden Hawks in Ontario University Athletics quarterfinal action on October 27 at York Stadium.
The Lions came face to face with some tough defence from the Golden Hawks, but eventually York’s offensive prowess took over, leading to a 5-0 win for the Lions.
It took the Lions a bit of time to get their game on track as they made a lot of uncharacteristic choices with the ball early on. As much as the Golden Hawks tried, it has been near impossible for any team to keep York’s offensive threats off the scoreboard this season, and this time it was the Lions’ Mark Anthony-Kaye who stepped up in a big way.
In just the 24th minute, the Lions swarmed to the net after a fast break forced Laurier into a scramble. Eventually a shot was fired on net that Laurier’s goalkeeper came out to challenge. Despite making the first save, the goalkeeper failed to corral the rebound, forcing him to watch Lions’ striker Anthony-Kaye blast one into the back of the net to put York up 1-0.
Anthony-Kaye was not done, he streaked through the defence only to bungle his chance, but luckily got a free shot at the keeper just a minute later.
After the Golden Hawks committed a foul in the goalie’s box, the Lions sent Anthony-Kaye onto the pitch to take the shot. The prolific goalscorer made no doubt about his decision, kicking his second goal of the game past the keeper to give his team the 2-0 lead they would take into halftime.
Despite his giant first half, Anthony-Kaye had noticeably taken a seat on the bench at the start of the second. Lions’ Head Coach Carmine Isacco chalked up the decision to the luxury of having a great team.
“We have a deep team, and Ty [Downes] came on and did very well. We have a lot of options, and it just made sense at the time.”
It turned out to be a wise decision. Instead risking injury, Anthony-Kaye sat on the sidelines watching his team score another three goals in the second half to polish off the victory.
York took a more relaxed approach in the second half, with Laurier getting a few quality chances throughout the final 45 minutes. Although the Lions took the foot of the pedal a bit, that didn’t stop goal-scoring fiends Jonathan Loa and Dylan Sacramento from getting in on the action.
Sacramento scored a beauty by utilizing his speed to blow past his defender. Once past the defence, he made no mistake about where to place the ball, easily striking one past the keeper to give his team a three-goal advantage.
Loa salted the game away with a late goal in the 87th minute, which York soon followed up with another goal in extra time by Anthoney-Kaye’s replacement Tyrone Downes.
The final two goals gave York a very convincing 5-0 victory, sending them to the OUA final four hosted by Ryerson the weekend of November 2. After Laurier was coming off a big playoff win of their own, Isacco was very pleased with his team’s performance.
“We had a good week of preparation, we played a motivated team who did very good in a playoff game prior to this, and we did the right things at the right times,” he says.
When asked if his team holds any advantage with inner city rivals Ryerson hosting the games, Isacco made it clear that he doesn’t care if he’s playing in the arctic or Toronto, it’s all just soccer to him.
“I hope [it gives us an advantage]. You know it’s always a soccer field, it’s always 11 versus 11 so whatever happens, happens. I guess it’s nice not to have to travel,” Isacco adds.
The Lions’ await an intense match-up with the Carleton Ravens on Saturday — a team they are all too familiar with. The Ravens eliminated York in last year’s final four, forcing the Lions to play for bronze on their home turf.
Carleton’s record is below what it was last year heading into their semi-final match-up, but records mean nothing when it comes playoff time.
“Very direct team and very strong,” Isacco said, praising the opponents. “They are athletic and physical, but we just have to match their intensity and do better.”
The OUA final four takes place November 2 and 3 at Birchmount Stadium.
Ryan McCabe
Sports and Health Editor
