HAMILTON, Ont. - After defeating the reigning OUA Champions in this past weekend's quarterfinal contest, the Marauders will defend home turf once again Wednesday night, this time in an all-or-nothing match. McMaster will host the Nipissing Lakers on Wednesday at 7pm. The winning team will not only move on to the OUA Championship for the right to contend for the OUA banner and title but will also earn a berth to the U SPORTS Championship which will be held in Kamloops, B.C. next week. In the first crossover game of the year, the Marauders will need to lock down a win in front of a home crowd to extend the season, one final time.
Nipissing vs McMaster
OUA Semi-Final
Ron Joyce Stadium | Hamilton, Ont.
November 2nd, 2022 @ 7pm
Although this will be the first meeting between the two squads this year, McMaster and Nipissing did meet twice last season. The Marauders defeated the Lakers in both of 2021's contests by 2-1 and 4-0 scorelines. Both teams will enter this game with momentum. The Marauders dropped the Guelph Gryphons 2-1 on Saturday to extend their win streak to four while the Lakers are coming off a huge upset against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, the No. 1 seed in the OUA East, and have won two straight playoff games to reach the semi-finals.
McMaster retains the No. 2 seed in the West, finishing the regular season with an 8-3-1 record and picked up a win in the quarterfinal. Nipissing earned a 6-5-1 record in the regular season and has since won two playoff games as the No. 4 seed in the East.
The winner of Wednesday's match-up will play in the OUA Championship and will be one of two OUA teams represented at the U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship.
Players to Watch
Nipissing Lakers
#1 Gabriel Pastore, 2nd Year (Elig.), Goalkeeper
- Second in save percentage (.909) in the OUA playoffs
- Recorded 27 saves throughout the regular season
- Averaged 0.86 goals against over seven regular season contests
#16 Justin Gomes, 1st Year (Elig.), Defender
- Scored twice in the OUA playoffs
- Has a 1.000 shot percentage in the post-season, scoring on both his shots
- Recorded three points during the regular season (2 goals and 1 assist)
McMaster Marauders
#10 Amir Shirazi, 2nd Year (Elig.), Forward
- Recorded four goals during the regular season
- Scored both of McMaster's goals last weekend against Guelph
- Put six shots on goal in the OUA quarterfinal
#14 Miles Green, 4th Year (Elig.), Forward
- Recorded six goals in the 2022 regular season, including two game winners
- Second in the OUA in total shots with 42
- Tallied one assist in the OUA quarterfinal contest against Guelph
Game Coverage
Twitter: @McMasterSports
Instagram: @mcmastermsoc
For the latest news and updates on the McMaster Marauders, follow @mcmastersports on social media or visit www.marauders.ca.
