Looking towards the fall Ontario University Athletics season, here are Excalibur’s five bold predictions for the York Lions.
1. Entering the 2013 men’s soccer season, the Lions will be looking to fill the void left by goal-scoring machine and team leader Adrian Pena. For most teams, losing a player like Pena would be absolutely devastating, but not for the Lions, who are perennially in the top 10. The emergence of Mark Anthony-Kaye in 2012 was a treat for all who witnessed it. The young rookie midfielder made his opponents look silly, scoring seven goals on just 13 shots over the course of the season, good for seventh in the Ontario University Athletics in scoring.
Prediction: Anthony-Kaye will hit double digits in goals this season, and will finish top three in the OUA in goal scoring.
2. Much like Mark Anthony-Kaye, Nour Ghoneim let her presence be known in the OUA women’s soccer league during her rookie season. Despite starting just 10 games in 2012, Ghoneim finished tied for third place in OUA scoring with 13 goals.
Prediction: Ghoneim will lead the OUA in goal scoring, and it won’t even be close if she manages to start in all 16 games.
3. Last year marked a new beginning for the Lions’ women’s rugby team when they posted a 0-5 record in 2011. The Lions managed to climb back to a respectable .500 record in 2012, after winning three out of their six regular season match-ups. The Lions’ 3-3 record was good enough for a playoff berth, but I believe they will do more than just earn a spot in the playoffs in 2013.
Prediction: The Lions rugby team will win a playoff game next season.
4. Quarterback Myles Gibbon was a driving force behind the Lions’ men’s football team’s resurgence last season on the field. Gibbon finished third in the OUA in passing yards and 10th in rushing yards.
Prediction: Myles Gibbon will lead the OUA in all-purpose yards in 2013.
5. Last season, the York Lions football team took the OUA by surprise, proving they were not the Lions of old. York managed to win two games last season, while losing a few games by a couple of points.
Prediction: the Lions will earn their first playoff berth in seven years.
Ryan McCabe
Sportsand Health Editor
