GUELPH, Ont. - With the top two teams in the West squaring off, three big points were on the line Sunday afternoon at the Gryphon Soccer Complex. With the 5-1-2 Guelph Gryphons hosting the 5-0-1 York Lions, emotions were at an all time high as the two teams continued to jockey for positioning. From start to finish, fans were entertained to a fast paced, twisting and turning contest.
Playing on their home pitch, it was the Gryphons who struck first in the match. In the 19th minute Gryphons leading scorer Alexander Zis sent a corner kick into the box where Evan Dick rose up and headed the ball into the York goal for a 1-0 advantage. Making his return from injury, Gryphon's goalkeeper Erik Hermanns managed to keep a clean sheet through the first half of the contest, clearing up any York pressure during the first 45-minutes. With Guelph still out in front 1-0 and the first half nearly coming to a close, tempers began to flare between the two sides. Both teams got up close and personal with each other ultimately resulting in York's Merci Yumi being issued a yellow card. One of five yellow cards giving during the contest.
Playing their second match in three days, the Gryphons did everything they could to maintain their 1-0 advantage in the second-half, however consistent York pressure led to a late equalizer. In the 81st minute of the match, Yumi struck a ball from the top of the Guelph box that found it's way past Hermanns. Unfortunately for Guelph, the Lions were not done there. Just five minute later, York's Omar Marzouk managed to get his head on an 86th minute corner kick that all of a sudden gave the visitors their first lead of the match.
Believe it or not, the craziness did not end there though. Despite having very little time left, the Gryphons managed to keep their heads up and began to search for an equalizer, and in the 90th minute they got their chance. Trying to chase down a lobbed pass in the York box, Peter Zehdee was taken down by the Lion's keeper and the referee awarded Guelph a penalty kick. With time nearly out, Alexander Zis stepped up to the spot and made no mistake tying the score 2-2. Neither team was able to find a third goal during injury time and the final whistle blew on a 2-2 draw.
The single point allows the Gryphons to continue maintaining the top spot in the West by one point over York. The Gryphons will now shift their focus to Friday when they play host to the Western Mustangs. The match is scheduled for 8:15pm from the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
Quotes from Gryphons Head Coach Keith Mason:
"We showed great character in battling back after going down 2-1. York are OUA champions for a reason. They never give up, they fight, they battle and they're determined not to lose, and when we went down 2-1 I thought we showed that same desire, character and will power to come back and tie the game up. I'm really proud of the lads and the effort they put in."
"Both sets of players know what's on the line. We've played two games now and we've tied them both and it shows you how close the two teams are. That's where the passion comes from. Both teams know that this is a game that could decide who is first and who is second. The passion was certainly there and we left it on the field today."
