The York Lions men’s soccer team beat the Western Mustangs 3-2 in penalty kicks in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s championship game in Ottawa on Sunday, winning their first OUA provincial championship since 1977.

For the York Lions women’s soccer team, it was their second OUA championship in the past three years. They defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 2-1 in penalty kicks in the OUA women’s championship game on Sunday at York Stadium.

Brampton’s Douglas Sereti, in regulation, and Toronto’s Francesco Bruno, in the first overtime, scored for the Lions men’s team before they won 4-2 in penalty kicks. Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) scoring leader Stefania Morra of Toronto scored in regulation for the Lions women’s team before they won 3-2 in penalty kicks.

As provincial champions, both of the York Lions teams have secured a coveted berth in the 2007 CIS finals on Sunday, Nov. 11. The women's soccer championship will be hosted by Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, while the new CIS men’s soccer champions will be crowned at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Both teams play sudden-death quarter-final games on Thursday, Nov. 8.

At 6 pm on Thursday, the women’s soccer team with a 16-1 success record will square off against the Atlantic runner-up Dalhousie Tigers (11-3-1), while the men’s soccer team (14-1-2) will battle the Atlantic runner-up Saint Mary’s Huskies (9-2-4) at 7:30 pm.

With Sunday’s achievements by the Lions soccer teams, and the men’s tennis team OUA title earlier this year, York increased its OUA championship total to three this season,  the highest total since 1998-1999, when the Lions captured three provincial crowns. For full coverage of the Lions in the CIS national championships, visit the Sport York website.

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