TORONTO, Ont. – The Laurier Golden Hawks had their first game on the road on Sunday, taking on the York Lions in Toronto. Unfortunately, after a very evenly matched and particularly intense game the Golden Hawks came out on the losing side of a 2 -1 match and experienced their first loss of the 2023 season.

From the first whistle, it was clear the York Lions and the Laurier Golden Hawks were locked in for an intense 90 minutes. A very high York defensive line made it difficult at times for the Golden Hawks to get strong offensive scoring opportunities, despite many attempts.

Recent transfer Ronaldo Marshall scored his first OUA goal for York in the 12th minute to open the scoring.

Laurier very quickly equalized with a goal from Adriano Colangelo, who slid a lovely cross from captain Andra Neptune into the lower corner of the net for his first career OUA goal.

The competitiveness resulted in many fouls and even a yellow card before the half was done.

The Golden Hawks held that tie for more than half the game, but York scored a second goal in the 75th minute of play, resulting in a 2-1 lead for the Lions. Despite the Golden Hawks' best efforts, they were unable to catch York and received their first loss of the season.

Top Performers
Golden Hawks
#9 – Adriano Colangelo
Colangelo was not only a prominent offensive player in today's match but also showed his ability to read the field and his players. He moved both the ball and himself into open space throughout the game, resulting in the only goal for the Golden Hawks in today's match.

Lions
#5 – Chris Melino
Melino did well to be exactly where his teammates needed him. Melino put up a particularly strong performance in Sunday's match. A strong centre-back with good delivery is hard to find, but Melino embodied the role perfectly.

Up Next
The Golden Hawks will return to Alumni Field to take on the Algoma Thunderbirds this Saturday, September 9th at 3:15 PM.