2009 CIS all-Canadian Yannis Gianniotis came through in a clutch as the No. 4 Varsity Blues men’s soccer team tied the Nipissing Lakers 1-1 to open their 2010 regular season campaign on Saturday, September 4 at Education Centre Field in North Bay, Ont.

After a scoreless 83 minutes of play, Nipissing’s Mark Harrison finally found a way past Blues goalkeeper John Smits to gain a 1-0 lead. Things were looking grim for the Blue and White until co-captain Gianniotis evened the score four minutes later. Despite their best efforts, U of T could not solve Lakers goalkeeper Matt Likuski again and had to settle for the single point.

Smits recorded four saves in the tie.

The Blues return to the pitch tomorrow when they travel to Sudbury, Ont. to take on the Laurentian Voyageurs. Game time is scheduled for 2:15.

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