TORONTO – Defender Lauren Hampton (Calgary) scored the game's lone goal to lift the Guelph Gryphons women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over the York University Lions in their first-round playoff game at McNaughton Field on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Hampton's marker came in the 68th minute on a flurry of shots in front of the net. York goalkeeper Sarah Fiorini (Newmarket, Ont.) made a gorgeous save on a header that came into the box from a corner, but the rebound went straight to fourth-year Lauren Hampton just in front of the goal line, and she fired the ball home.
 
The goal was part of a dominant second half by the Gryphons, who tallied a total of eight shots on goal in a 30-minute span after half-time.
 
Neither team was able to generate much offence in the first 45 minutes as some sloppy play from both sides led to plenty of passes at midfield but not much action near the nets. Guelph managed to get to shots on goal in the frame while the Lions were held off the scoresheet entirely.
 
But the Gryphons came out firing in the second and their efforts were rewarded with the goal. The Lions finally managed to generate an offensive attack in the last 15 minutes of the game and had multiple good scoring chances late, including a header that went just wide and a shot that Guelph goalkeeper Alexandra King (Ottawa) bobbled on the goal line, but could not find the back of the net.
 
King finished with the shutout, her sixth of the season, while Fiorini made nine saves in the loss.
 
Midfielder Rita Keimakh (Maple, Ont.) and striker Nour Ghoneim (Toronto) led the Lions with two shots each, while Jennifer Dunn(West Vancouver, B.C.) and Erica Bain (Niagara Falls, Ont.) recorded three each for the Gryphons.
 
With the win, the fifth-seeded Gryphons advance to an OUA quarter-final game against the top-seeded Laurier Golden Hawks on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Waterloo, Ont. The winner of that match will advance to the OUA Final Four Championships the following weekend.

- Source: York Sports Information -