While the Athletic year has already wound down for the Blues, the season was a memorable one. Here are the top 10 finishing moments of the year:
- Football bounced from win
In their closest chance to breaking their six-year losing streak-which now stands at 41 games-the Blues mounted a 10-0 lead at the half over Waterloo Sept. 20 at Birchmount Stadium. The Warriors would make a 21-0 run before U of T countered, a pair of Mark Stinson touchdowns sandwiching another Waterloo score. With a minute remaining and down 28-25, the Blues lined up for the onsides kick. The ball would not bounce their way, however, and the Warriors made off with the Blues’ best chance of the season.
- Men’s Baseball steals postseason spot
With one week of league play left, Baseball was on the outside looking in. The Blues had to sweep their final three games to make it. With the odds against them, the Blues succeeded anyway, defeating Guelph 3-0 and 11-5 in a double-header before knocking off McMaster 8-1 to finish third in the OUA and streak into the playoffs. U of T was defeated by eventual champs Western Ontario in the first round.
- Men’s Hockey shuts out McGill
McGill was the ninth-ranked team in the country, thanks in large part to its division-leading, 113-point-garnering, offence. They had yet to be shut out the entire season, and had been favoured to oust the Blues in the playoffs, but they were unable to slip one past Ryan Grinnell. The Blues goaltender and Ontario University Athletic MVP stopped 50 saves over two games, leading U of T over the Redmen with a 2-0 victory Feb. 24 and a 1-0 win Feb. 21.
Grinnell was even better in the semis, stopping 86 shots, but UQTR was able to defeat the Blues 5-4 in extra periods over successive games, ending the Blues postseason run.
- Men’s Basketball beats buzzer
Tied at 68 and with 20 seconds remaining, guard Mike De Giorgio dribbled the ball past mid-court, looking to take the last shot. With five tics left, he heaved a three, only to have it rim out. Forward Mike Williams had blocked out, however, and gathered the rebound. He pump-faked, then let the shot off, only to have Ottawa’s Curtis Shakespeare block it back to him. He recovered, dropped back for the fade-away over Shakespeare’s out-stretched hand, and nailed the baseline jumper for the victory. The chest-pumping finish came Feb. 1, but it would have been useful when the two teams met again in the OUA quarterfinals. Ottawa defeated the Blues 69-68, when U of T missed the last shot.
- Women’s Lacrosse busts Laurier’s perfecto
It was an undefeated three-time champion giant taking on a 1-3 team, but the Blues gave Laurier more than they could handle on Oct. 4, posting a 14-13 victory over the Hawks in their own backyard. Behind three goals from attacker Katie Godfrey, and a strong game from goalie Cora Mitchell, the game was tied at 13 goals apiece with one minute remaining. Then, with 23 ticks left on the clock, Blues midfielder Rosemary Gibson blew one by the Hawk goaltender to shatter Laurier’s perfect record.
The Blues went on to McGill 9-8 to take the bronze in the OUA championships on Oct. 29.
- Women’s Hockey bronzes Guelph
Both teams had come off losses in the OUA semifinals, but the Blues were determined to make the most of their chances against Guelph in the March 11 third-place game. They came out strong, peppering the Gryphon’s goalie with 11 shots in the first period, and notched the first score of the game behind Laura Foster’s wrist shot at 1:04.
Guelph came back in full force in the second period, forcing 10 shots on the Blues’ second team all-Canadian goalie Stephanie Lockert, who stopped all but two of them. Justine Todd tied it for the Blues at 10:54 in the third, as the game went into overtime. It would take two extra periods, a questionable call from the referees, and one minute with the player advantage before defender Sarah Poirier found forward Emily Paltry besides an open net. Paltry flicked in the one-timer, netting the Blues the win.
- Men’s Soccer foiled in penalties
In one of the most pressure-packed post-season runs in U of T history, the Blues made it all the way to the OUA Championship finals. They accomplished the feat by defeating the defending champs, Carleton, 2-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they dispatched top-seeded Brock 3-1, scoring two goals in the second overtime to propel them to the championship against Western.
Once in the final, the Blues posted a 1-0 lead thanks to Evan Milward’s strike to the back of the net at the 58-minute mark in the second half. The defence kept the game in the Blues’ favour until the first minute of injury time, when Mustang attacker Jason De Thomasis snuck one in, tying the match at one-all.
Two scoreless extra periods followed, and the game was decided by penalty kicks. Western took it 5-4, and, soon after, the championship on Nov. 5.
- Brown propels team to Gold
As tends to happen in the 4 x 800 metre, it came down to their anchor. But this time, Indoor Track phenom Megan Brown was behind Windsor’s last runner in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championships March 11. Yet the star runner, who hasn’t lost a meet yet this year, was up to the challenge. Upon receiving the baton, she took off after her opponent. When she crossed the finish line, Brown and her team of Laura Elmhirst, Liane Heale and Mary Hein had won the gold by more than three seconds.
- Field Hockey wins third title
U of T’s Shannon Treacy was in the position the Blues had wanted all year long. Their most prolific scorer lined up for the penalty corner in the opening minutes of the OUA final against York. She aimed, she struck, and she conquered, netting the only goal of the afternoon, as the Blues defeated the Lions 1-0 to take the OUA title last weekend at Lamport Stadium. The banner is their third straight and their eighth in the last 10 years.
- Women’s Tennis comes from behind to win title
With the championship on the line, the eyes of fan and competitor alike stared out at the court as the final two players decided the OUA title.
Blues veteran Ekaterina Alchits lost the first set, and was down 6-5, facing match point against McGill’s Alison Weinberg at the start of the second. When Alchits remarkably held off the consistent and forceful Weinberg, winning the tiebreaker to take the second set, the Blues cheered while McGill fell silent. In the final game, Weinberg was unable to keep up with Alchits, as she stepped up in the final set to take a 6-3 win, clinching the gold medal for U of T.
The seventh game was the culmination of a three-game comeback for the Blues. In a final that featured two match points in games six and seven, Women’s Tennis defeated McGill 4-3 to win their third straight OUA title.
