UOIT soccer kicks off this weekend against Brock

UOIT Soccer Home Openers
Saturday, August 31st vs. Brock
Vaso's Field - 1/3:15 p.m.

OSHAWA, Ont. – The UOIT men's and women's soccer teams will return to the pitch on Saturday afternoon as the Ridgebacks host the Brock Badgers in their 2013 OUA regular season debut. Kick-off for the doubleheader is set to take place at 1 p.m. beginning with the women's game at Vaso's Field.

The women's team fared well in preseason action, compiling a 1-1-2 overall record which included a 0-0 draw against the McGill Redmen at the Oshawa Civic fields. The Redmen were national championship contenders last season, as they were nationally ranked nine out of 10 weeks.

The Ridgebacks also earned a 1-0 win over the Mercyhurst Lakers of Erie, Pennsylvania. Jessica Mithrush (Thunder Bay, Ont.), who scored the first goal in UOIT history one season ago, notched the lone goal in the game to lead the Ridgebacks to victory.

UOIT will square off against Brock in the season opener, who went 2-1-1 in preseason action with wins over Sheridan and Niagara of the OCAA. The Ridgebacks swept Brock last season two games to none.

Coming off a playoff run in their inaugural season, UOIT finished with a record of 6-7-3 and sixth place in the OUA western conference.

On the men's side, head coach Vaso Vujanovic will be looking for his freshman to step up early in their University careers as he has eight new bodies in his line-up.

"With all the new talent that we recruited and hopefully no injuries, the sky is the limit for our team this season," said Vujanovic. "We may truly be a surprise in our division."

Although the Ridgebacks have struggled in preseason play sporting a 0-2-1 record, they are confident they can turn things around with a healthy and rested line-up heading into the opener.

UOIT has done well against Brock in the past, with their inaugural win coming against the Badgers on September 4, 2010. However, the Badgers hold a slight edge in the all-time series with a record of 3-2-1 against the Ridgebacks.

OUA all-star Justin Gordon (Pickering, Ont.) returns as the captain and will be looking to lead the team to the postseason for the first time in program history. The Ridgebacks finished in seventh place in the OUA western conference, just missing out on a playoff berth.

For more information on the OUA men's and women's soccer including schedules and results, visit www.oua.ca.

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