SOCCER 2016 2016 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE AND STATS 2016 PLAYOFF SEASON SCHEDULE
DATE
OPPONENT
TIME
Sat. Aug. 27 Sun. Aug. 28 Sat. Sept. 3 Wed. Sept. 7 Thu. Sept. 8 Sat. Sept. 17 Sun. Sept. 18 Sat. Sept. 24 Sun. Sept. 25 Fri. Sept. 30 Sun. Oct. 2 Thu. Oct. 6 Wed. Oct. 12 Sun. Oct. 16 Sat. Oct. 22 Sun. Oct. 23
at Algoma at Algoma vs. Laurier at McMaster vs. Waterloo vs. McMaster at Guelph at Windsor at Western at Waterloo at Laurier at Brock vs. Guelph vs. Brock vs. Windsor vs. Western
1pm 12pm 1pm 6pm 6pm 1pm 1pm 6pm 12pm 6pm 1pm 5pm 6pm 1pm 1pm 1pm
Wed. Oct. 26 Sun. Oct. 30 Nov. 5-6 Nov. 10-13
OUA First Round OUA Quarter-finals OUA Final Four Championships (at highest West seed) CIS Championships (at Acadia University)
2015 REGULAR SEASON RESULTS DATE
OPPONENT
RESULTS
Sun. Aug. 30 Sat. Sept. 5 Sun. Sept. 6 Thu. Sept. 10 Sun. Sept. 13 Sat. Sept. 19 Sat. Sept. 26 Sun. Sept. 27 Thu. Oct. 1 Sun. Oct. 4 Thu. Oct. 8 Sat. Oct. 10 Fri. Oct. 16 Sun. Oct. 18 Sat. Oct. 24 Sun. Oct. 25
at McMaster vs. Brock vs. Windsor vs. McMaster vs. Guelph at Brock at Windsor at Western at Laurier at Guelph vs. Laurier vs. Waterloo at Waterloo vs. Western vs. Algoma vs. Algoma
W W W W W W W T W W W W W W W W
2015 PLAYOFF RESULTS Sun. Nov. 1 OUA Quarter-finals Sat. Nov. 7 OUA Semifinals Sun. Nov. 8 OUA Bronze Medal
Proud sponsor of the
YORK LIONS
FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 15-0-1 FINAL PLAYOFF RECORD: 1-2-0
1-0 7-1 2-1 1-0 4-1 1-0 1-0 1-1 2-0 2-0 3-2 4-0 2-1 1-0 10-0 11-0
vs. Guelph W 3-0 vs. Queens L 1-1 7-6 Penalties vs. Ottawa L 2-0
SEASON OUTLOOK
YORK LIONS
The York University Lions women’s soccer team was virtually unstoppable in the regular season last year but came one win short of a trip to the CIS championships. That narrow miss has the squad even hungrier for a longer run this season. The Lions went undefeated in conference play with a 150-1 mark and outscored their opponents 53-7 during that stretch, but lost a heartbreaking OUA semifinal match to the eventual champion Queen’s Gaels in the eighth round of penalty kicks to see their season end short of where they had hoped. However, the team’s No. 2 CIS ranking proved it can compete with the best and last year’s experience taught the Lions a lot. “They got a taste of winning and of what it’s going to take to reach the top,” said head coach Carmine Isacco, who was named the OUA coach of the year at the conclusion of the season. “Hopefully that will continue and they will have a better mentality and a better belief in what they can achieve. “Last year was important. It’s an old analogy that you need to lose before you can win, and while I don’t necessarily believe that I do think they took a lot from what happened. They understand now how much they dominated games and how good they are. We have a fantastic group of players and they will assert themselves again.” This year’s team is led by the reigning CIS player of the year in Nour Ghoneim, who is determined to take her team to the national championships in her fifth and final season. She led the country in scoring last year with 18 goals in 16 games and her career scoring average is better than one goal per game, with 56 markers in 51 regular season contests. She won’t be the only one counted on to find the back of the net as she will be joined by Kiyani Johnson, who scored seven goals as a rookie last season while mostly coming in off the bench in the second half, newcomer Ashley Nater, a transfer from Duquesne University who joined the program in January and has fit in well with the players around her, and redshirt freshman Sia Papadopoulos, who gained immeasurable experience with the team last season. Two-time OUA West all-star midfielder Marilyn Grammenopoulos and striker Francesca Pedulla, both also en-
tering their fifth seasons with the Lions, are also motivated to reach the national championships in their final years. A pair of rookie midfielders who have already impressed the coaching staff are Catherine Guevin and Stephanie Lamanna. “Catherine is a fantastic technical midfielder who sees the game well and fits in with how we want to play and Stephanie is quick and will provide pace in the wing channel,” said Isacco. “Both of them won’t just want to be part of the team but will want to be an influence on the field as well.” The defence will be anchored by first-time OUA West allstar Tomika McIntosh and fifth-year player Peyton Lozzi, and will also get a boost by Julia Iaquinta, a rookie centre back who is the future of the team at that position. She has taken to the role quickly and is already understanding it well. The last line of defence will once again be Taylor Grant and Courtney Davis, who both have significant experience as starters with the program and will split time in net again. With last year’s graduation of CIS all-Canadians Sarah Wong and Shannon Wood, and the impeding final seasons for many other key players, the Lions will need to capitalize on the experience in the line-up this season to qualify for nationals for the first time since 2009. The talent is there on paper and a trip to the national championships in Wolfville, N.S., is well within reach.
What we’ve done is in the past now and moving forward we need to be learning and growing and understanding who we are. CARMINE ISACCO - MASTER COACH
SOCCER 2016 REGULAR SEASON SCORING LEADERS
2015 STATISTICS PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS
NAME
GP
G
NAME
GP
Nour Ghoneim Colleen Beesley Kiyani Johnson Sydney Hoareau Sarah Wong Charlene D’Mello Marilyn Grammenopoulos Christina Morelli Fahkunda Muhtaj Francesca Pedulla Jessica Tavernese Shannon Wood Jessie Wootton
16 14 14 14 16 15 15 15 6 14 16 16 1
18 10 7 5 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Sarah Wong 3 Colleen Beesley 3
G 2 2
PLAYOFF GOALKEEPERS NAME
GP
Taylor Grant
3
GA
SO
W-L-T
3
1
1-2-0
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YORK LIONS
THE COACHES CARMINE ISACCO
PAUL DEABREU
MASTER COACH
ASSISTANT COACH
Carmine Isacco was named the master coach of York’s soccer program and became the women’s head coach in 2011, after previously leading the men’s team since 2007. Last year he won his first OUA women’s coach of the year award. His success with the men’s soccer program is unprecedented. In nine seasons he has guided the team to four OUA titles (2007, 2013-15) and four national championships (2008, 2010, 2014-15), and the Lions have won provincial medals eight times and finished first in the OUA West each year. He is a five-time recipient of the OUA men’s coach of the year award, (2007, 2010, 2012-14), is a two-time CIS coach of the year (2007, 2014) and a four-time York coach of the year (2010, 2014-16).
Paul DeAbreu joined the Lions coaching staff in 2011. In addition to working with the Lions, he is also the head coach of the Pickering Power Girls Ontario Youth Soccer League (OYSL) U15 and U17 teams. He has also been the assistant coach of the W-League’s Lady Lynx. In 2010, DeAbreu coached his Pickering girls U16 OYSL team to an undefeated season, which culminated in an OYSL Cup championship, an Ontario Cup championship and a national title.
In 2015 he served as a guest coach with the Canadian senior men’s team for a pair of friendlies in advance of World Cup qualifying, and he will also be an assistant coach with the U22 team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Isacco joined the Lions after spending two seasons as the head coach of the men’s team at the University of Toronto, where he led the Varsity Blues to a pair of OUA silver medals and a CIS silver medal in 2005. His coaching career has also seen him claim a national championship with the Hearts-Azzurri S.C. in the U18 division. As a player, Isacco took to the pitch at the University of Maryland, where he was named a freshman all-American and a three-time all-ACC first team member. In 1993 he participated in the World University Games.
ALEX FOGOLIN ASSISTANT COACH Alex Fogolin joined the Lions coaching staff in 2014 after spending one year as an assistant with at Ryerson. She is also currently coaching the U16 girls in the ACES academy. She played for the Bolton U21 team in the Ontario Women’s Soccer League (OWSL), reaching the league finals in three of her four seasons. She then went on to play for the Western Mustangs, where she graduated with a degree in kinesiology, before playing professionally in Germany.
GERALD PENNANT GOALKEEPER COACH Gerald Pennant joined the Lions coaching staff as the goalkeeper coach in 2010, coming to York from Ryerson, where he served in the same role for both the men’s and women’s programs for two years. He has a wealth of experience coaching with the Ontario provincial program and the Jamaican national team. He is a provincial B licensed coach who also holds both an NACAA goalkeeping diploma and the Ontario Soccer Association goalkeeping certificate.
He has previously worked with head coach Carmine Isacco, where he served as an assistant with the Azzurri U18 boys team in 2008. He was also the head coach for the Unionville U18 boys’ team, where he coached the squad to a silver medal at the national championships. DeAbreu has also served as first assistant coach to the Guyana U20 women’s national team.
OLIVIA LUKASEWICH ASSISTANT COACH Olivia Lukasewich joined the Lions coaching staff in 2014 and brings to York plenty of experience as a varsity student-athlete. After playing in the Ontario Youth Soccer League (OYSL) growing up, she earned a full scholarship to Louisiana Tech University (2008-12), an NCAA Division I school. She played in every game over her four-year career at LA Tech at both forward and defence, earning all-Louisiana first-team honours in her senior season and academic all-WAC honours four times, while also serving as the team co-captain for two years. Lukasewich played one year of professional soccer with Spartans FC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League (2012) and is now currently playing with Markham in he Ontario Women’s Soccer League (OWSL) and the Toronto Lynx in the W-League. She is also an U9 and U13 assistant coach in Markham.
SHANNON WOOD ASSISTANT COACH Shannon Wood joined the Lions coaching staff in 2016 after a stellar five-year playing career with the program. She started every regular season and playoff game over her five seasons with the Lions and became one of the best defenders in the country. Throughout her career she earned four OUA all-star honours, including three on the first team, and was a CIS second-team all-Canadian in her final season last year. Wood also excelled in the classroom, earning multiple CIS academic all-Canadian honours, and served as a team captain.
VALERIE CHUONG – HEAD STUDENT THERAPIST ALI QASAM-BARLAS – ASSISTANT STUDENT THERAPIST
SOCCER 2016
PLAYER PROFILE
NOUR GHONEIM REIGNING CIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR BACK FOR ONE MORE CHANCE AT NATIONALS Last season was a bittersweet one for York Lions fifth-year striker Nour Ghoneim. In one week, she was honoured as the CIS player of the year but just days before was part of a heartbreaking OUA playoff loss that ended in the eighth round of penalty kicks and prevented the squad from qualifying for the national championships. This year, she is focused only on the national tournament and doing everything she can to help her team qualify.
“My time here has been amazing! And not just with soccer but with everything else surrounding it too. The administration has been incredible and my whole experience here has definitely been life changing.” After this season, Ghoneim hopes to continue her career playing professionally in Europe for a few years. But for now, the only place she wants to travel is to Wolfville, N.S., in November for the 2016 CIS championships.
“There’s pressure there for sure,” she said about entering the season as the reigning MVP. “I usually have some individual goals every season, but this year the only thing I want is to be able to take my team to nationals and compete. That is my dream, and I told my teammates that no one gets to mess up my dream! I refuse to not make it this season.” A trip to the CIS championships would be a first for her and would cap off a tremendous five-year career that has seen her win numerous individual accolades. Ghoneim began her time at York by being named the OUA and CIS rookie of the year after finishing third in conference scoring with 13 goals despite playing in only 10 games. She is a three-time OUA West all-star and a two-time CIS all-Canadian and has averaged more than one goal per game in the regular season, with 56 tallies in 51 contests. She has come a long way since first taking up soccer as a little girl. As the youngest of five children, she quickly discovered that the best way to get her dad’s attention was to participate in his favourite sport and play with him. She showed immediate promise and worked her way up the ranks, reaching the ultimate goal as a teenager when she represented Canada at the 2010 U17 CONCACAF championships and helped her country win its first gold medal. Entering university, Ghoneim had the talent to go anywhere and nearly headed south to the NCAA before a last-minute decision saw her come to York instead. “I decided for family reasons to stay close to home and during the summer leading into university I was playing for the Toronto Lynx and Paul [DeAbreu] was my coach and also coached at York. My initial plan was to stay here for a year but then I got attached to the girls and definitely the coaching staff and I never left.” Her play has made a big difference for the team as the Lions have become one of the best programs in the country and last year reached No. 2 in the CIS rankings as part of an undefeated regular season. The decision to come to York has paid major dividends for Ghoneim as well.
GETTING TO KNOW WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?
Carmine Isacco, Bart Zemanek and Maureen Barnes IF YOU COULD EAT ONLY ONE MEAL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Salad WHO IS YOUR SOCCER IDOL?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic WHAT WOULD YOU SING ON KARAOKE NIGHT?
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW GROWING UP?
Arthur
YORK LIONS
THE PLAYERS 19
MAGDA BLAKESON
SAMANTHA CAESAR
6
MARTINA CAROTTA
• A steady centre back with the ability to distribute and see the field • Earned high school’s athlete of the year award in final year
• Has appeared in three games over two seasons in the midfield, scoring her first goal in a win over Algoma in 2014 • Has great energy and strong technical ability
• Provides a fast, strong and physical presence at the back • Brings a positive attitude to practice • Earned high school soccer team MVP honours in 2015
M • 5-7 • 3rd Year
D • 5-9 • 3rd Year
D • 5-4 • 1st Year
Kinesiology & Health Science West Dummerston, Vermont Vermont Academy
Psychology Arnprior, Ont. Arnprior District H.S.
Human Resources Management Richmond Hill, Ont. St. Joan of Arc C.H.S.
MELISSA D’ANGELO
CHARLENE D’MELLO
• A very good one-onone player with a strong left foot • Reached OFSAA quarter-finals with high school team in 2009
M • 5-1 • 2nd Year
M • 5-1 • 4th Year
English / Italian Toronto, Ont. St. Basil-The-Great College
Administrative Studies Mississauga, Ont. St. Joseph S.S.
10
NOUR GHONEIM
S • 5-8 • 5th Year Psychology Aurora, Ont. Dr. G.W. Williams S.S.
• CIS player of the year in 2015 and two-time OUA West MVP • Three-time OUA allstar and two-time CIS all-Canadian • OUA and CIS rookie of the year in 2012 • Led the OUA and CIS in scoring last year • A member of the U17 and U19 junior national teams and won 2010 CONCACAF championship
CATHERINE GUEVIN • • •
M • 5-8 • 1st Year Psychology Ottawa, Ont. E.S.P. Louis-Riel
15
14
COURTNEY DAVIS
• Appeared in 47 games over first three seasons and scored six goals • Three-time CIS academic all-Canadian • Very technical and energetic in the midfield • Brother, Casey, was a five-year member of the Lions men’s soccer GK • 5-8 • 3rd Year team
Kinesiology & Health Science Cambridge, Ont. Galt C.V.I.
MARILYN GRAMMENOPOULOS
17
M • 5-5 • 5th Year
GK • 5-4 • 4th Year
Kinesiology & Health Science Whitby, Ont. Donald A. Wilson S.S.
Sociology Brampton, Ont. Holy Name of Mary C.S.S.
JULIA IAQUINTA
A midfielder with strong composure on and off the ball Spent three seasons with the Ottawa Fury FC elite girls program Represented Canada with her school at a mini World Cup tournament in South Africa during the D • 5-6 • 1st Year men’s World Cup in Nursing 2010 Richmond Hill, Ont. Jean Vanier C.H.S.
25
20
TAYLOR GRANT
• Two-time OUA West all-star • Started 14 games at midfield last season and scored one goal • Played in 60 games in the last four seasons • Won CGSL championship in 2011 and 2012
• Appeared in 14 games, started 11 in first season with Lions in 2015 • Recorded five clean sheets and finished second in the OUA in goals against average (0.45) and fifth in save percentage (.846) • Spent two seasons with Acadia in the AUS • Represented Jamaica at the 2012 Caribbean championships and the 2014 CONCACAF tournament
KIYANI JOHNSON
• A defender with great technical skill • Is solid on the back end by maintaining composure while on the field • Earned high school’s junior female athlete of the year award in 2013 S • 5-4 • 2nd Year Psychology Markham, Ont. Brother Andre C.H.S.
1
• Appeared in three games last season and started one, registering a clean sheet in win over Algoma • Started 15 games as a rookie in 2014 and ranked second in the OUA in goals allowed (five), third in save percentage (.881) • Aggressive and disciplined in net
9
• Appeared in 14 games and started one as rookie striker • Finished third on the team and 14th in the OUA with seven goals • A dangerous attacking threat with great speed and one-on-one skills • Earned high school team MVP honours
SOCCER 2016 STEPHANIE LAMANNA
21
MIA LAURSEN
• Brings a lot of pace to the line-up • Is capable of capitalizing in one-on-one situations • Two-time OFSAA finalist with high school team
M • 5-4 • 1st Year
M • 5-3 • 1st Year
Criminology Pickering, Ont. St. Mary C.H.S.
Psychology Ottawa, Ont. Hillcrest H.S.
TOMIKA MCINTOSH
D • 5-5 • 4th Year Kinesiology & Health Science Bradford, Ont. Bradford District H.S.
2
• Named an OUA West first-team all-star for the first time in 2015 • Appeared in 33 games over three seasons and started 13 at centre back last year • A strong defender who tackles hard • Participated in multiple sports in high school and competed at the OFSAA volleyball championships in 2012
ATHENA MPAMPAS
28
Education King City, Ont. Villanova College
27
CHRISTINA MORELLI
S • 5-2 • 3rd Year
Administrative Studies Ajax, Ont. Pickering H.S.
Kinesiology & Health Science Markham, Ont. Bill Crothers S.S.
FARKHUNDA MUHTAJ
M • 5-5 • 2nd Year Kinesiology & Health Science Toronto, Ont. David and Mary Thompson C.I.
5
• Appeared in six games as a rookie midfielder and scored first career goal in win over Algoma • A scoring threat in the centre of the field who has great vision and does not shy away from physical play • Earned high school athlete of the year and soccer team MVP awards
SIA PAPADOPOULOS
• Earned first career cleansheet in win over Algoma in 2014 • A reserve goalkeeper with fantastic feet and good composure
• Started seven games on defence and missed the rest of the season with an injury • Converted to left back in 2014 after two seasons as a forward • Has a great work rate and gets quick pressure on the ball • Won OFSAA championship with high school in 2008
D • 5-4 • 5th Year
M • 5-4 • 1st Year
Business Administration North York, Ont. York Mills C.I.
0
• A hard-working target player with great physicality • Earned high school’s senior female athlete of the year award in 2015 • Named a city all-star in rugby and was the basketball team’s rookie of the year
• A strong technical player • Has lots of potential and willingness to improve • Reached LOSSA final with high school team in 2014 •
D • 5-8 • 1st Year
7
PEYTON LOZZI
KRISTINE MESSINIS
• Has good ability to connect passes in possession and in building an attack • Two-time soccer team MVP recipient in high school • TDSB North Region’s leading goal scorer in 2014
TAMARA ORLANDO
THE PLAYERS
13
8
ASHLEY NATER
S • 5-5 • 4th Year Health Management Pickering, Ont. Dunbarton H.S.
• Appeared in 30 games over two seasons with Duquesne University in the NCAA, including starting one as a sophomore • An offensive-minded player with a keen eye for the goal • Won provincial and national gold medals with high school team in 2011
FRANCESCA PEDULLA
• A strong technical striker • Has good foot skills and a threatening strike on target
GK • 5-6 • 3rd Year
F • 5-4 • 1st Year
S • 5-7 • 5th Year
Psychology / Children’s Studies East York, Ont. East York C.I.
Communications Studies Maple, Ont. Maple H.S.
Sociology Richmond Hill, Ont. St. Theresa of Lisieux C.H.S.
23
• Started 15 games as a striker last season, recording 16 shots and scoring one goal against Brock • In 2014, appeared in all 16 games and tied for fifth in team scoring with three goals • Strong technically with exceptional vision • • Won OFSAA championship with high school in 2012
12
• Appeared in 47 games over four seasons and scored three goals • An attacking player who brings a great attitude to training • Reached YRAA finals and OFSAA quarter-finals twice with high school team • Earned high school senior athlete of the year award in 2012
YORK LIONS
THE PLAYERS CLAUDIA PIAZZA • Appeared in 30 games over two seasons with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, twice earning OUA East allstar honours • Was U of T’s leading scorer with seven goals in 2014 • A true box-to-box M • 5-8 • 3rd Year midfielder with great Liberal Arts & Professional Studies vision and tackling Brampton, Ont. ability Cardinal Leger S.S.
KRISTEN RIQUELME
11
DINA RICCO
3
• Appeared in four games at midfield after missing 2014 season due to injury • Brings great speed to the wing channels • Earned soccer team MVP award in high school M • 5-2 • 3rd Year Health Studies Bolton, Ont. St. Michael C.S.S.
26
AMANDA SPANO
• Has great field vision and the ability to develop forward play • Three-time WCSSAA and CWOSSAA champion in high school • Earned WCSSAA allstar honours in 2014 and was the league’s leading scorer twice
M • 5-1 • 1st Year
M • 5-10 • 1st Year
D • 5-2 • 3rd Year
Kinesiology & Health Science Vaughan, Ont. St. Jean de Brebeuf C.H.S.
English / Professional Writing Waterloo, Ont. Waterloo C.I.
Kinesiology & Health Science Markham, Ont. Bill Crothers S.S.
TAYLOR TSOTSOS
D • 5-7 • 2nd Year
22
• Appeared in 10 games and started three in rookie season • An extremely strong centre back who commands attention from opponents • Calm and technical, with great vision • Has strong one-onone defending skills
Kinesiology & Health Science Markham, Ont. St. Augustine C.H.S.
JESSIE WOOTTON
M • 5-5 • 4th Year Human Resources Management King City, Ont. King City S.S.
18
• Appeared in one game last season and scored one goal after two years away from the program • Appeared in 16 games over two seasons (2011-12) • Good at crossing the ball into the box • Won YRAA championship with high school in 2008
4
• Spent one season at Harding University, scoring five goals and winning the conference championship and tournament MVP • A member of Canadian junior national teams since 2012, winning silver medals at CONCACAF tournaments D • 5-6 • 2nd Year in 2013 and 2015 and Liberal Arts & Professional Studies competing in the 2014 Brampton, Ont. U17 Women’s World Cup St. Roch C.S.S.
KENDRA SAXTON
• A technical midfielder with good ability to distribute and connect passes • A member of the U20 Chilean national team, where she played in the 2013 South American Olympics
MIKA RICHARDS
HALEY WALSH
BRIA WILLIAMS • A strong midfielder with great fight defensively • Has the skill to create momentum offensively • Earned high school team honours in 2014 and reached YRAA finals in 2015
M • 5-4 • 1st Year
D • 5-5 • 4th Year
Criminology Markham, Ont. St. Augustine C.H.S.
Criminology Mississauga, Ont. St. Francis Xavier S.S.
16
• Appeared in four games at midfield in 2015 • CIS academic all-Canadian • Has good vision and a strong work ethic • Won OFSAA championship with high school in 2014 and a bronze medal in 2011
24 • Appeared in 37 regular season games over three seasons • CIS academic all-Canadian • Strong at winning the ball and getting forward to attack • Earned soccer and basketball team MVP awards in high school
SOCCER 2016
PLAYER PROFILE
MARILYN GRAMMENOPOULOS FIFTH-YEAR TEAM CAPTAIN LEADS BY EXAMPLE Marilyn Grammenopoulos is not the most recognizable face on the York Lions women’s soccer team, but her solid play, strong work ethic and leadership abilities have gone a long way to building the program into one of the best in the conference.
to play soccer and be a student-athlete and I couldn’t imagine my university years any other way. I’m definitely going to miss the family aspect of this team. I’m still going to play soccer when I’m done but nothing is going to be like being here.”
She first took up soccer at the age of five and has been playing ever since. After several years at the club level, she decided to continue playing in university and chose York for the combination of its soccer team, academic program and proximity to home.
Grammenopoulos has plans to attend teacher’s college and, eventually, become a high school guidance counsellor. After so many years as a tremendous captain for the Lions, there is no doubt she will succeed in that role as she has here.
The adjustment was a slow one at first as she had to prove herself on the field before she was given the chance to play regularly. “It was initially really tough,” she says about her rookie season. “In my first year I started out only playing five minutes a game, but by the end of that year there was an injury so I had to be a starter and play 90 minutes and that was terrifying! But it was something I had to do and I was prepared for it and it was a good transition.” Since starting out as an unheralded rookie with the program, Grammenopoulos has blossomed into a key member of the squad. She does a lot of the little things right and flew under the radar on the pitch until recent years, when she was honoured as an OUA West first-team all-star in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015. In addition to her on-field prowess, she is a team captain and provides remarkable leadership for her teammates away from the field. She is not the most vocal player but leads by example and uses her own experiences to help the younger players. “I want to make sure they know that it’s important to keep pushing no matter what. As a rookie I didn’t play a ton but now I’m a starter playing 90 minutes every game. I want the young players to learn from me that one hundred per cent effort is all you can give. If you do that, the coaches will see it and you will get your chance on the field.”
GETTING TO KNOW WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?
Mashed potatoes DO YOU HAVE ANY STRANGE PHOBIAS?
Knives! I’m fine to hold and use one but if someone is pointing one at me I freak out.
The sport has been such a big part of her life for so long that Grammenopoulos knows she won’t be able to give it up when her career comes to a close at the end of this season, and for now she is relishing her time at York and intending to enjoy every moment of her final season.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW GROWING UP?
“My first four years here have been amazing, definitely the best experience I’ve ever had. The best choice I made was
WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?
The Powerpuff Girls IF YOU WERE A SUPER HERO, WHAT POWERS WOULD YOU HAVE?
Invisibility and flying My siblings, Stephanie and George. They are older and they’ve protected me my whole life and have been there for me.
JOIN THE PRIDE
YORK LIONS
York University’s student-athletes have been competing against rival institutions on the Canadian sports scene for over 40 years. Provincial and national team titles, combined with numerous athletes and coaches who have participated on many of Canada’s national teams, attest to the success of York’s varsity program. Since the inception of organized sports competition in 1965, York has won 173 provincial banners and 36 national titles. Athletics & Recreation offers 19 varsity sport teams that compete in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The varsity sport teams are guided by a tremendous coaching staff that is composed of NCCP certified professionals, many of whom also hold leadership positions in provincial and national sport organizations. The staff includes more than 100 dedicated full-time and part-time coaches.
ACADEMIC AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT At York, we understand that academic and financial support are significant keys to success at the university level and we have a number of programs in place to provide all the support necessary for student-athletes to thrive.
PROVIDING ATHLETES WITH WINNING STRATEGIES (PAWS) Athletics & Recreation has placed the highest priority on supporting its student-athletes in all facets of university life, focusing specifically on helping foster success in the classroom. The PAWS Program provides tutoring across multiple subjects for all students, mentoring from senior student-athletes, academic advising through our academic services coordinator and many of our faculty, and access to our vast network of alumni.
ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS York University is committed to helping students with demonstrated financial need meet the direct education costs associated with university studies (tuition, books and mandatory course fees). Financial assistance can be provided from a variety of sources including OSAP, scholarships, bursaries, private awards and employment. Athletics & Recreation understands the importance of providing Athletic Financial Awards (AFAs) to entering student-athletes and has developed a number of awards, valued at $22,500 each ($4,500 per year up to five years). These awards are given annually to elite student-athletes that have achieved an 80% entering average and maintain a 6.0 grade point average.
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING York University is one of only a handful of institutions in Canada that has two dedicated strength and conditioning coaches for its student-athletes. The Lions work closely with strength and conditioning staff, who create programs based on the needs of the athlete and coaches on high-performance lifts and movements. Team and individual workouts are available and education on all aspects of strength and conditioning is provided, including proper warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, power, energy systems development, strength and flexibility.
Programs are created for both in-season and off-season workouts. Every training session is designed for the needs of the athlete and individual sport. The training phase and focus changes throughout the year and are based on the competition schedule and off-season periodization program. The strength and conditioning coaches also work closely with the athletic therapy group on rehabilitating injured players. All Lions have access to the varsity strength and conditioning centre, which is for the exclusive use of our student-athletes. Training here allows you to work in a high-performance environment where all equipment and programming is selected with the needs of the high-performance athlete in mind.
SPORT INJURY CLINIC The Gorman/Shore Sport Injury Clinic features a full staff of athletic therapists and team doctors with significant experience in the medical field, and many of the doctors are recognized as some of the top experts in the country in their specific fields. In addition to sport medicine physicians, York employs a large variety of specialists including an orthopedic surgeon, dentist, neurosurgeon, radiologist, cardiologist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, osteopath, pedorthist and a mental health specialist. The team brings to York experience at multiple Olympic Games and world championships, as well as with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports. The sport injury clinic is a teaching clinic, with students from York University’s Athletic Therapy Certificate Program completing their clinical placements under the direct supervision of the clinic manager and supervisor. Because of this, most medical care for student-athletes is free of charge. Each varsity team is assigned at least one student athletic therapist who spends the entire season with the team and attends all practices and games. Lions student-athletes also have access to a fully-equipped clinic for all of their treatment needs.
#LIONPRIDE
ATHLETICS & RECREATION WEAR THE BEST Visit the Pride Shop to purchase your official Lions merchandise in the lobby of the Tait McKenzie Centre! Check out our new & exciting 2016/17 selection.
LION PRIDE UNITE YORK STUDENTS FREE With the presentation of a valid YU-card at the door for all regular-season home games.
Adults $10.50 Alumni/York Staff $7.50 Seniors (over 55) $7.50 Non-York Students $7.50 Youth (under 13) Free Family Pass $40.00 Prices include taxes and $0.50 service fee. Group rates available for 10 or more paying guests. Email yulions@yorku.ca for details.
STAY ACTIVE, BE HEALTHY Diverse programming to meet your interests and needs. Take advantage of opportunities based on your time, skills and personal development goals. • Group drop-in fitness classes in Beat Kik, BOSU ABT, Core Circuit, Shread and more • Instructional classes in aquatics, cycling, dance, fitness, martial arts, pilates, and yoga
• Personal Training • Casual Recreation • Intramurals • Sport Clubs
yorkulions.ca/recreation
yorkulions.ca/tickets
Wear RED at select games and you could win!
Get the coolest ticket in town! This year’s games will feature live entertainment, themed nights, surprise give-a-ways, food trucks and much more.
Bring your bestie and cheer us on! yorkulions.ca/promotions @yorkulions