The Gryphon men's soccer team blanked the Warriors 2-0 this afternoon in the final game of the 2012 regular season.

The Gryphons have qualified for the playoffs with a 7-6-3 record. They will now advance to a playoff game against Windsor this Wednesdasy. 
 
The Gryphons nabbed their first goal of the game at minute-36 from Marc Bijman (Brantford, Ont.) and Drew Gowan (Welland, Ont.) scored their insurance goal early in the second half at minute-58.

The game was slow to develop with neither team creating any clear cut chances in the first 30 minutes and both teams struggling to maintain possession.  The Gryphons looked more dangerous going forward, but the deadlock wasn't broken until the 36th minute when Paul Manchisi sent a free kick into the box; the Waterloo goaltender attempted to save it, but defender Marc Bijman rose above everyone to head it into the open goal for his first career goal as a Gryphon.  That goal, combined with some key substitutions, galvanized the Gryphon team who played much better over the final 10 minutes of the half. 

In the second half the Gryphons came out and performed convincingly.  The second goal was scored by Drew Gowan at the back post after a great cross from the right by rookie Mohammed Heydarpour.  Head coach Keith Mason brought out several rookies as the game progressed, and given the chance to play together, showed all their quality and ability. 

The remainder of the half was dominated by Guelph, who rained 11 shots on the Warriors goal in the half and created several clear chances.  

The Gryphons now enter the playoffs and can feel comfortable having gone 2-0-1 in their final three games, scoring five goals and only conceding one. 

The Gryphons will now travel to Windsor on Wednesday for a playoff game.  Windsor and Guelph had the same records (7-6-3) during the season; head-to-head, Windsor won 1-0 in Windsor over Guelph and the teams tied 1-1 in Guelph, so the Lancers earn the home playoff game.