The Varsity Blues women’s soccer team hosts the RMC Paladins, while the men take on the Nipissing Lakers in the first round of OUA playoffs on Wednesday night (Oct. 24) at Varsity Centre.
The women start the action at 5 p.m., with the men to follow at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be streamed live via varsityblues.ca.
Toronto’s women finished the regular season in third place in the OUA East division with a 9-3-4 record, while the Paladins placed sixth with a 5-10-1 record. The Blues went 2-0 versus RMC in the regular season, defeating the Paladins 4-0 at home on Sept. 8 and coming away with a 3-1 win on the road on Oct. 7.
Rookie striker LaShaunna Harper (Toronto) led the Blues and ranked fifth in the OUA with 11 goals in 16 games, while Aisha Lewis, Diana Esteireiro and Jessica Fantozzi each tallied six goals this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Petrucci (Bolton, Ont.) has played in every game for the Blues, recording five shut outs on the year.
The Paladins are led by third-year midfielder Michelle Hamilton, who has tallied nine goals this season. Fourth-year goalkeeper Olivia Clarke has notched five shut outs in 2012.
The Blues men (7-5-2) ended the regular season in fourth place, while the Lakers placed fifth with a 4-6-4 record in the OUA East division. Toronto and Nipissing went 1-1 this season. The Lakers came away with a narrow 2-1 win at home on Sept. 16, with the Blues topping Nipissing 6-0 this past Saturday at Varsity Centre.
Third-year striker Mario Kovacevic of Woodbridge, Ont., tallied a team-high nine goals in 11 games this season, ranking him fourth in OUA scoring. Rookie Adrian Dannell has also tallied five goals this season.
First-year goalkeeper Rab Bruce-Lockhart is likely to get the start on Wednesday night. The Victoria native has recorded five shut outs in 10 games played in 2012.
Nipissing scored 13 goals in 14 games, with Tyler Doell, Graham Dufort and Jean-Michel Paulin tallying three apiece this season.
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