It was another busy road weekend for the Wolves with all 4 outdoor teams in action away from home. Our men's basketball team got their pre-season started at home on Friday against Canadore and both teams were in Brockville on Saturday for the Battle of the St. Lawrence hosted by the Brockville Blazers. Here is how each team did.
Women's Soccer (5-0-1)
Our women's soccer team travelled to Oshawa on Saturday for a rematch with the Durham Lords. These two teams met in Ottawa back on September 15th when the Wolves came away with a 4-2 win. Coach Basil Phillips' squad found more success in this one coming away with a 3-0 win. Alexandra Aubin got the scoring started in the 11th minute. Samantha Jones continued her strong season scoring in the 53rd minute. The Final Wolves goal came in the 79th minute off the foot of Cassandra Vanderlaan with the assist going to Olivia Lambert.
The Wolves record improved to 5-0-1 which has them in 2nd in the OCAA East standings. Their focus now turns to a huge weekend ahead. There are 3 teams with identical 5-0-1 records and Algonquin will take on the other 2 this weekend at home. On Friday night the 1st place and reigning OCAA and CCAA champion Seneca Sting come to town. That game will kick-off at 6:00 pm. On Saturday the Wolves will welcome the Centennial Colts to the Algonquin Sports Field. Centennial is currently ranked 4th in the CCAA national rankings, 3 spots behind the 1st place Sting. It will be a good measuring stick weekend for a Wolves squad who has had some success in the first half of the regular season.
Men's Soccer (4-1-1)
After moving into the top spot of the CCAA national rankings, our men's soccer team hit the road for their toughest weekend of competition so far. On Friday night they took on the Centennial Colts who were also undefeated at the time. It was a battle for first place in the OCAA East standings. Unfortunately for the Wolves it was a game of missed opportunities. The team had some key chances to score but were unable to find the back of the net. The Colts were opportunistic, scoring on 2 of their 3 shots. With the score 2-0 for the Colts, Algonquin made a late push when Alessandro Vivolo scored in the 76th minute to bring his team within 1. Unfortunately that was as close as they would get as the Wolves were handed their first loss of the season.
The team then turned their attention to Durham on Saturday in Oshawa. These two teams met earlier in September when the Wolves came away with a 5-1 win in front of their hometown crowd. The rematch was much more competitive. Jaeden Mercure scored his league leading 8th goal of the season in the 74th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately the Lords answered back in the 89th and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Wolves are back at home this weekend for a couple of tough matchups against the other top 2 teams in the OCAA East. The action kicks-off on Friday at 8:15 pm when they welcome the Seneca Sting (3-0-3). On Saturday the Algonquin looks forward to a rematch with the Centennial Colts (4-1-1). That game is set to start at 3:15 pm.
Women's Rugby 7s (4-6)
Our women's rugby 7s team was in Peterborough for their third tournament of the season hosted by the Fleming Phoenix. For the second time this season the Wolves would take on the Loyalist Lancers, St. Lawrence Surge and Fleming Phoenix.
The Wolves faced the Lancers in their first game of the day. The team played a solid first half and took a 5-0 lead into halftime. Morgan Payne scored the first Wolves try. Unfortunately in the 2nd half, the Lancers took advantage of some Wolves mistakes and Algonquin ended up on the wrong side of a 12-5 final score.
In the 2nd game, the Wolves took on the undefeated St. Lawrence Surge. The Surge flexed their muscle in this one defeating Algonquin 39-0.
The Tournament ended on a high note with the Wolves saving their best performance for last. They scored early and often on route to a 33-7 win over the Fleming Phoenix. Tries were scored by Faiza Faucher-Ahmed, Sydney Seymour (2), Kari Read and Princess Ikeson.
The Wolves will play their final tournament of the regular season next Saturday and Sunday in Oshawa hosted by the Durham Lords.
Men's Rugby (0-3)
Our men's rugby team was in Toronto to take on the Seneca Sting (1-1-1). They dug themselves a big hole early going down as much as 35-0 but clawed back to make a game of it in the later stages. The game eventually ended with a 42-33 final score. The Wolves tries were scored by Dylan Gilmore, Brian Nnah (2), Ronin Schultz and Aung Thein.
The Wolves will be back at home this Saturday when they welcome the Durham Lords (1-2) to Twin Elm Rugby Park. The game is set to kick-off at 1:00 pm.
Women's and Men's Basketball (Pre-Season)
Our basketball teams were in action for a couple pre-season tune ups this past weekend. On Friday the men's team took down the Canadore Panthers at home. On Saturday both teams were in Brockville for the 2nd annual Battle of the St. Lawrence, an event put on every year by the Brockville Blazers organisation. The Wolves split the double header with the Lancers with the women's team coming away with the win.