U of O won 4-0 against York at Matt Anthony Field
In their first game of the season, the University of Ottawa’s women’s soccer team defeated York University 4-0 at Matt Anthony Field on Sept. 25.
The Gee-Gees played a strong game against the Lions, with Nibo Dlamini scoring the first goal of the season in the first five minutes of the game with an assist from Sadie Sider-Echenberg.
“I haven’t really taken it in yet, I think. But when it did go in the net, it was crazy. I was really excited. I put a lot of work over the summer so for it to show on the field is just really great for me,” said Dlamini about her goal after the game.
The Lions tried to keep the Garnet and Grey on their toes for the rest of the first half, but with six minutes left, Kaylane Hogue was able to run past the York’s line of defence and get a second goal for the U of O.
The second half continued to be frustrating for the Lions, with Emma Lefebvre getting the third goal within the first 15 minutes of the half, and Hogue getting the fourth in the 71st minute of play to put the Gees up 4-0.
The match was aggressive at times, with the U of O not wanting to give up their lead and York desperate to get on the scoreboard. Five yellow cards were issued by the referee — two to York and one to the Gees in the first half, and another two to the U of O in the second half. Cassandra Provost, Katie Brzozowski, and Charlotte Gagnon-Lewis from the Gee-Gees were carded.
Lefebvre, who is in her sixth season on the team, thinks the team played well together today.
“We have a lot of new girls this year with two years of new recruits coming in. So we are definitely faced with challenges, but I think we’ve adapted well, and we really put our best out there today.”
Gee-Gees head coach, Steve Johnson was proud of the players’ execution during the game as well.
“We’re still learning about ourselves. I was very pleased with the performance during the game. I didn’t feel like we were ready. My players didn’t feel like they were ready. But what we were hoping is that we were more ready than York,” said Johnson.
Johnson also commented on Lefebvre’s contribution to the team, stating that “She’s a great player to be a role model for the team in terms of press and selflessness. It’s hard not to recognize the effort that she puts into the team. She was key in helping us establish a win today.”
The Gee-Gees are heading on the road to take on Ontario Tech on Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. They will be back at Matt Anthony field on Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. to face crosstown rivals Carleton.
