Lakers soccer teams earn points in weekend action

The Nipissing Lakers soccer teams kicked off the season this weekend with games on the road at Laurentian and at home against Trent.  Both teams earned important points, with the men’s team getting the win against Laurentian and a tie against Trent, while the women’s team picked up a point for the tie against Trent.Nipissing’s own intrepid sportswriter, Marc Larochelle, filed the game reports:Men’s GamesLakers drop Voyageurs in season opener
The Nipissing Lakers men’s soccer team took to the field Thursday to open the OUA soccer season against their northern rivals the Laurentian Voyageurs and walked away with a gutsy 1-0 road victory.
With a new coaching staff, new players and a new attitude, the Lakers looked to change their mindset and fortunes against the Voyageurs, who have been solid on home soil. The Lakers’ focus on systematic defensive play was evident as the Voyageurs tried to penetrate the Lakers defence but were denied time and again as the Lakers denied the home team any quality scoring opportunities.
In the 29th minute, the Lakers were able to score the only goal of the game when Graham Dufort picked up a loose ball and put it past the Laurentian keeper.
Both teams would share the ball equally from this point on until half time arrived.
Early in the second half, Laurentian mounted several attacks but the Lakers defence stood tall and cleared away any danger. The Lakers continued their strong team defensive play to steal a road victory and a valuable three points.
"To defend, that was our game plan," said head coach Carlo DeVuono. "That was our game plan, just defend and try to hit them with our counter-attack. We got a lucky break and a goal, which was fortunate. Any time you can get points on the road, it's great, and three points is even better. Laurentian is a skilled team, so to beat them is fantastic."
The victory made him optimistic about his young team's chances this season.
"We're very young, so this only helps us," DeVuono said. "This goes a long way for our playoff hopes."Lakers battle to draw against Excalibur
The Nipissing Lakers managed another important point in the pursuit of a playoff spot as they came from behind to earn a hard fought draw against the visiting Trent Excalibur.
The game got off to a cautious start as both teams gauged out their opponents and shared possession without any team giving in.
The first goal of the game developed from what seemed to be an innocent play, as Trent was awarded a free kick just past half; however, a well placed ball off the head of Trent’s Matt Henchey ricocheted off the bar and crossed the line past the diving Lakers keeper.
That would be the best of Trent’s chances as the Lakers defence stood tall and limited their opponents to the outside while keeper Andrew Richard did the rest.
The Lakers played a patient game and were rewarded in the 43rd minute when first-year North Bay native Jean-Michel Paulin collected a loose ball in the 18 yard box and blasted his first goal of the season past a helpless Trent keeper.
The second half was a defensive battle as neither team would give an inch. The Lakers would have the better of the scoring chances, but no team could find the mark again and the game would end in a draw.
“I thought our back line did a very good job of limiting Trent’s scoring opportunities today,” said DeVuono. “On the offensive side of the ball I have already seen an improvement over our last game.”
The Lakers will have a week before they travel to the Nation’s Capital to face the always tough Carleton Ravens.Women’s GamesLakers comeback falls short
The Nipissing Lakers soccer team opened the 2012 OUA season in Sudbury on Thursday by mounting a feverish comeback bid that fell just short, dropping a 3-2 decision to their northern rivals the Laurentian Voyageurs.
It was not the start the Lakers were hoping for, as the Voyageurs tallied two quick goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The news didn’t get any better as the Voyageurs would go up by three goals. Down three goals, it would have been easy for the Lakers to throw in the towel; however, the team dug deep and started to press. The increased pressure and accurate passing certainly lead to more offensive opportunities as the team was finally rewarded in the 70th minute when Natasha Struthers converted a header to put the Lakers on the board.  Third-year midfielder Valaine Confesor brought the Lady Lakers within striking distance when she struck a good ball past the Laurentian keeper in the 89th minute.
The Lakers kept pushing for the equalizer but ran out of time.
"I thought we came out flat and what killed us was that first two minutes of each half," said head coach David Bitonti. "To give up those early goals in each half, that was a killer. Also, our passing got the better of us. But when we did start to pass better, we were able to move the ball.
We have a good group of veterans and some younger players who are talented, but just lack OUA experience, so we'll need some time to mesh as a group. But we'll get there."
Lakers earn first point of the season
The Nipissing Lakers women’s soccer team captured their first point of the young OUA soccer season as they played to a scoreless draw against the visiting Trent Excalibur.
On a bright beautiful Sunday in North Bay, the Lakers took to the Education Centre Field in their first home game of the season. After a disappointing start against the Voyageurs Thursday the Lakers were looking for better fortunes with the goal of limiting their opponent’s chances early in the game. The team accomplished just that as they kept the Excalibur mainly to the outside and when Trent tried to produce some offence, Lakers keeper Kelley Van Boxmeer was there to thwart any dangerous attacks.
The Lady Lakers really started to find their footing in the middle of the second half and applied some relentless pressure that lead to some great scoring opportunities.  None closer than the one that presented itself to second-year forward, Erica Dixon, who collected a loose ball in the 18 yard box and made a great move to deke the final defender and fired a shot that rang off the cross bar and was cleared by Trent’s defence.
It would prove to be one of those days for the offence as shot after shot would barely miss its intended target.
Head coach David Bitonti was happy with his team’s ability to follow the game plan.
"Coming into the game we wanted to apply some high pressure and I thought we did that,” said Bitonti. “We also created more chances using our midfield however we just couldn’t finish them.”
The Lady Lakers will be off to the Nation’s Capital to face the Ottawa Gee Gees and Carleton Ravens next weekend.