The Laurentian Voyageurs soccer team will continue the quest for their first OUA championship since 1994 when they kick off the playoffs at home against the Queen's Gaels. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22 on the Laurentian Soccer Fields.
The Laurentian men finished the 2008 regular season with a 6-5-3 record which was good enough for third place in the OUA east division with 21 points, while the Gaels finished sixth with a 4-6-4 record. The Voyageurs took all six points from the Gaels this season defeating Queen's 2-1 on September 14 in Sudbury and 1-0 on September 21 in Kingston.
The Voyageurs and Gaels both enter the OUA round of 16 after some struggles in the final week of the season, with Queen's going 0-1-2 and Laurentian going 1-2-0 to finish off the regular season.
"Both games against them (Queen's) were very close this year and could have went either way, but that is the past and it is a one game playoff now, so we will have to be at our best from here on in" said head coach Carlo Castrechino, in a release.
The Voyageurs will be looking to strong play from its veteran filled squad with the likes of Tony Tagliafierro (Sudbury, Ont.), J.P. Sauvé (Pembroke, Ont.) and Scott Cliff (Sudbury) all looking to end their university careers on a high note. The Laurentian men will have to be weary of the Gaels ability to counter attack and score at anytime.
"We will need to continue with our strong team defence and create enough scoring chances to keep the pressure on Queen's. They play a good physical game and are capable of scoring at anytime, which means we will need to be mistake free to win the game and advance further into the playoffs" added Castrechino.
