Box Score A familiar story played out between the Marauders and Lions once again on Sunday. After a strong first half in which they fashioned a lead, McMaster saw their advantage slip away in the second, as York defended their OUA title with a 2-1 victory in Toronto.
The result mirrored York's similarly tight wins over McMaster at last season's OUA and CIS Championships, and the two teams face the possibility of meeting yet again as they both head to the national tournament, which the Lions will host this coming week.
York's deciding goal was poached in the 90th minute, when veteran Michael Cox got on the end of a cross at the far post and headed high, hard and past Marauder goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo. That marked the completion of a radical turnaround from a first half in which McMaster had largely controlled play and fully earned their 1-0 halftime advantage.
Stefan Scholz scored the lone goal for the Marauders in a losing effort, while Cavalluzzo made four saves in the Marauder net. Another longtime nemesis of the Marauders, Jarek Whiteman had the Lions other second-half tally.
In an understandably cagey opening to Sunday's game, the two teams both struggled to get out of midfield and threaten the goalkeepers. But the tide began to turn in McMaster's favour as the opening half wore on, and the Marauders were full value for their lead by the time Sasha Riccuiti showcased his speed to create an opening. The winger found the run of Scholz with a square ball, and he coolly fired past Colm Vance and inside the far post in the 33rd minute.
Chances continued to come for the Marauders as the halftime break approached, but McMaster could not find a second goal to consolidate their lead before the teams heard the referee's whistle.
That proved costly in the second half, as York played with desperation and purpose from the opening whistle. Within 10 minutes, their efforts were rewarded when their upfield pressure yielded a turnover and Whiteman ended up the beneficiary, slotting in to level the match in the 56th minute.
York continued to turn the screw as the teams barrelled toward the end of regulation, and forced Cavalluzo to be alert in his area as aerial challenges poured in. Finally, one such approach paid off, as Cox beat his man at the far post and put his head strongly to what turned out to be the game's winning goal.
