2000 OUA Women's Soccer Champions
U of O defends soccer title
After clinching a berth in the national championships by virtue of the 3-0 win over the Guelph Gryphons in Ontario University Athletics women's soccer action, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees weren't quite ready to board their plane to Acadia University in Nova Scotia for the championship tournament.
There was still the matter of the OUA crown to be decided with a game against their division rivals, the Queen's Golden Gaels. The Gee-Gees can now travel in first class as the OUA champions for the second straight year thanks to their 2-0 win at Frank Clair Stadium last night.
The Laurier Golden Hawks won the bronze medal yesterday with a 2-0 win over the Gryphons.
"There's a lot of pride in playing Queen's," Gee-Gees coach Steve Johnson said before the gold-medal game when asked if his team may suffer a letdown after qualifying for the nationals 24 hours earlier.
"We've been playing really well in the past three weeks. Probably the best I've seen us play. The big thing is our speed of play. We knock the ball around very quickly and our transition game is very good."
The Gee-Gees used that speed to open the scoring in the second half, on a combined effort of three graduating players. Keri Hoffman found Jennifer Biondi streaking down the right side in the 61st minute. Biondi then fed a cross onto the foot of Isabelle Lessard, who buried a shot behind Queen's goalkeeper Amanda Foran.
"I saw (Biondi's) finger up and I knew where she was," said Hoffman on the play that led to the eventual winning goal. "I just hoped that my ball would get to her and everything worked out."
Brigitte Bernier put the Gee-Gees up 2-0 in the 72nd minute with a shot off a turnover that bounced in off the crossbar just out of the reach of Foran.
"You don't want to lose to Queen's. They're our rival," said Ayana Nurse who nearly put the Gee-Gees up 3-0 but her ball was headed clear of the open net by Queen's defender Cecily Clarke.
The Gee-Gees leave Wednesday for Wolfville, N.S., in the hopes of improving on the fifth place finish they registered at last year's nationals.
Note: this article originally appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on November 5, 2000. It was written by Darren Desaulniers.
Gee-Gees soccer team hits stride at right time
What timing! The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women's soccer team is playing like a champion, practising like a champion, poised to grasp a championship.
That's how Steve Johnson sees it as his team prepares for the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union finals, which kick off today at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. And he should know because he has coached a U of O team to a Canadian crown before.
The Gee-Gees have lost just one game this year - second only to the unbeaten champions of 1996 - but it is only in the past two or three weeks that they have begun to buzz like title contenders.
"In our final league game, we beat the University of Toronto 4-1," Johnson said. "A week later, we played them again in the provincial quarterfinals and beat them 6-0. We've never beaten U of T 6-0. In fact, we've never beaten anyone 6-0 in a playoff."
"That was perhaps the best game we have ever played together as a team. Then perhaps we had the best practice ever. It wasn't as if I did anything special. We played a scrimmage and the players were just flying. It was amazing. All I could do was stand back and watch."
Johnson's enthusiasm might be expected, but the coach of the Gee-Gees' crosstown rivals echoes that sentiment. "They have so much fire power," Carleton Ravens coach Andy Nera said. "And their defence is so solid."
Nera also coaches the semi-professional Ottawa Fury, whose roster includes several U of O players.
With most teams, there is one key to success. The Gee-Gees have found several ways to unlock opposition doors.
Noel Trepanier had not played for Ottawa since 1997, but she returned to the university this year for her final season of soccer eligibility. Johnson was thrilled by such a turn of events. "Her experience is a major part of our success and she has been rock solid on the back line," he said.
Trepanier plays on one side, Kerri Hoffman on the other and Jennifer Dillinger in the middle. Dillinger was a nice surprise for Johnson. A former Ontario provincial team regular, she transferred to U of O from Virginia Tech this fall.
The Gee-Gees engine room is run by Brigitte Bernier and Christa Alexander, who provide the probing balls for an explosive forward line.
Danielle Day was rookie of the year in 1999, but not as a forward. "Even though she was a dangerous striker, I spent a lot of time preparing for injuries and, because she had the speed to stay with attackers at the back, we trained her for defence," Johnson said. "But when Noel returned, there was no need to use (Day) there, and we could let her do what she does best: attack. She is a workhorse. She runs and runs and runs and is very fast."
Day has six goals this season on a team that spreads the scoring around. Top scorer is Erin LePage, who turned down a scholarship to Oklahoma before staying at home and enrolling at U of O. She has scored seven goals and isn't even in the starting lineup. Johnson uses her as his super sub.
All this talent has led to Ottawa being ranked second behind the unbeaten McGill Martlets of Montreal. These two are expected to come out of the pack to contest for the CIAU title.
The six teams are split into two groups. U of O starts against the University of Victoria today and plays host Acadia on Saturday. McGill must get past Queen's and Dalhousie. The national final will be played on Sunday.
Note: this article originally appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on November 9, 2000. It was written by Richard Starnes.
Trepanier CIAU women's player of the year
WOLFVILLE, N.S. - Veteran University of Ottawa defender Noel Trepanier was named most valuable player at the CIAU women's soccer awards banquet last night.
The 25-year-old Tecumseh, Ont., native also earned first team all-Canadian honours after anchoring a backline that allowed only five goals in 10 Ontario University Athletics regular season matches this season.
In addition, the Gee-Gees didn't allow a goal against in three playoff matches.