Amir Shirazi named athlete of the week for his outstanding performance against Brock Badgers
The men's soccer forward for McMaster University, Amir Shirazi, was selected athlete of the week following his strong performance on September 1st. Following a difficult 2 to 0 setback to the York Lions on Friday, Shirazi was a major factor in McMaster's 2 to 0 victory against the Brock Badgers on the night of Sunday Sep. 8 at 8:15pm, securing the Marauder's first victory of the season by scoring both of of the two goals.
When asked about the honor, Shirazi replied with humbleness. "It feels good to be recognized, but honestly, it’s all about the team. We knew it would be a tough weekend playing our biggest rivals right away. We’re happy with the win, but we could have done better," said Shirazi
It feels good to be recognized, but honestly, it’s all about the team. We knew it would be a tough weekend playing our biggest rivals right away. We’re happy with the win, but we could have done better.
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Between the two games, Shirazi played for 173 minutes, showing his stamina and determination. It can be exhausting to play back-to-back games, but Shirazi explained how he remains prepared. “Last year, I played a lot of minutes during doubleheaders, so I knew what to expect. It’s about preparing well, resting after the first game, and getting mentally ready for the next one,” said Shirazi.
While describing how he scored the first goal, Shirazi mentioned that it was a tactic he had already practiced with teammate Carlos Spiro. “Carlos cut in and played across. I headed it in after the goalie made a great save. We practiced a similar play in preseason, so I kind of knew what was coming,” said Shirazi.
Carlos cut in and played across. I headed it in after the goalie made a great save. We practiced a similar play in preseason, so I kind of knew what was coming.
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Shirazi received a free kick which led to his second goal. “In the game against York, I had a free kick from the same spot, but it hit the post. So, when I got the same chance against Brock and scored, it felt really good,” said Shirazi.
Although the team was frustrated by the outcome against York prior to facing the Brock Badgers, Shirazi clarified that they saw it as a teaching moment. “We made mistakes in the first half, but we created a lot of chances. We just couldn’t finish them. We took what we learned from that game and brought it into the next one, and we got the win,” said Shirazi.
In addition, Shirazi attributed his success to his colleagues. “The midfield, wingers, and fullbacks are all working hard to get me the ball in good positions. Guys like Mohamed El-Shachman, Carlos Spiro, and Damiano Refosco are the reason I’ve been able to score so many goals. It’s a team effort,” said Shirazi.
The midfield, wingers, and fullbacks are all working hard to get me the ball in good positions. Guys like Mohamed El-Shachman, Carlos Spiro, and Damiano Refosco are the reason I’ve been able to score so many goals. It’s a team effort
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Despite his achievement this past game, Shirazi is more focused on the group's future performance than on individual awards. “Every year, we aim to win the OUAs and qualify for nationals. That’s still my goal. I just want to help the team finish in the top two and do well in the playoffs. My job as a striker is to score goals, and I’ll keep doing that to help the team win,” said Shirazi.
As the Marauder's continue their season, Shirazi will be a key player to watch as the team pushes for a strong finish in the OUA standings.
Podium placements at the Dean Boles Divisional for the men's and women's swim team leads to Sam Chisholm and Megan Deering receiving Marauder award
On Nov. 27, Sam Chisholm and Megan Deering from the men's and women’s swim team respectively won the Marauder Athletes of the Week awards. The honours were awarded to the two following outstanding first place performances at the Dean Boles Divisional Championships in St. Catherines, Ont. on Nov. 25 and 26.
For the men's team, Chisholm picked up two individual gold medals in the meet, winning both the 400 and 1500 metre freestyle races. His silver medal finishes in the men’s 200 and 400 metre individual medley also helped in propelling the Marauders to the top of the podium with 1111 points.
On the women’s team, Deering logged individual gold medals in women’s 50 and 100 metre breaststroke as well as the 50 and 100 metre butterfly. Along with recording first and fourth place results in the 200 metre medley and freestyle relays respectively, Deering recorded the most points for the women’s team on the way to a team gold for the meet.
Along with recording first and fourth place results in the 200 metre medley and freestyle relays respectively, Deering recorded the most points for the women’s team on the way to a team gold for the meet.
The women earned an outstanding 1209 points at the championship, besting the Brock University Badgers and the Queen’s University Gaels who earned 713.5 and 694.5 points as the silver and bronze medallists.
Overall, McMaster University secured 66 podium place finishes across the meet with phenomenal all-around efforts by both the men and women’s team.
Overall, McMaster secured 66 podium place finishes across the meet with phenomenal all-around efforts by both the men and women’s team.
Looking ahead to Jan. 2024, the Marauders set their sights on a tri-meet with the University of Waterloo and University of Guelph at the Ivor Wynne Centre on Jan. 20. They will take on a winter invitational meet at the University of Toronto on Jan. 21 as their last regular season event before the Ontario University Athletics championships from Feb. 15 to Feb. 18.
Men and women's soccer teams win Marauders honours prior to playoff games as regular season winds down
On Oct. 23, McMaster Athletics and Recreation announced the Marauder Athlete of the Week awards recognizing outstanding athletic performances for the week of Oct. 16 to 23. Emilie Calabrese and Sachin Sargeant from the women and men’s soccer team respectively were given the honours to close out the final week of the season.
Both players played crucial roles to help their teams to late-season victories.
Calabrese scored a pivotal penalty goal for the Marauders on Oct. 20 against the University of Windsor Lancers. Despite quickly finding themselves down 2-0 in the first five minutes of play, Calabrese capitalized on a foul call towards the end of the half to narrow the deficit for the team.
Despite quickly finding themselves down 2-0 in the first five minutes of play, Calabrese capitalized on a foul call towards the end of the half to narrow the deficit for the team.
The veteran midfielder would go on to chip in an assist to forward Alena Spehar at the 67:49 mark, as the Marauders eventually went on to win the game 3-2.
Despite losing their final regular season game 0-2 against the Western University Mustangs, Calabrese and the women’s team finished with an excellent record of eight wins, two losses and two ties.
For the men’s team, Sargeant nabbed his first goal of the season on Oct. 22 against the Mustangs. A late goal by midfielder Joseph Guindy helped to seal the game for the maroon and grey as they collected a win in their final bout before the Ontario University Athletics playoffs.
The match marked the seventh regular season win for the men, who tied for the third best record with the University of Guelph Gryphons in the west OUA conference.
The match marked the seventh regular season win for the men, who tied for the third best record with the University of Guelph Gryphons
The men’s team began their postseason on Oct. 25 as they won their opening round game against Wilfrid Laurier University 1-0. On Oct. 28, the women faced the Gryphons in their quarterfinal at Ron Joyce Stadium.
After encouraging efforts by both the men and women throughout the regular season, the Marauders will hope to make a deep playoff push and bring this year’s provincial championship home to Hamilton.
A young McMaster field hockey team begins the season and looks to grow new players on the roster
On Sept. 16, the McMaster University women’s field hockey team began their season. Their first game of their campaign saw them face up against the McGill University Martlets, in which the team secured a dominant 3-1 win.
The team’s second game of the season took place on Sept. 17, as the Marauders took on the York University Lions and lost out with a score of 0-4.
Both games had major takeaways for the Marauders to reflect on as they embark on their ten-game regular season. The most important lesson that the young team has learned so far is that they just need time to settle in.
“I think we have very good individual skill, but [because] we have such a young team, we haven’t ever played together before. . .I think the biggest thing is playing together and running through our systems. Most of our practices are walkthroughs because we all come from different teams and backgrounds,” said first-year Darcie Brohman.
On their 22 person roster, there are 10 first-year and six second-year players. With a majority of the team’s athletes just entering their rookie or sophomore season, it is no surprise that it may take time for the team to reach their full potential.
“We’re a very young team. We haven’t been a U Sports team for very long and we have a lot of rookies. So, age-wise we have a lot of younger players, but I think we haven’t played a lot together because of that. . .Every time we play we get more and more and we become more competitive and better than we were the last time,” said Brohman.
Every time we play we get more and more and we become more competitive and better than we were the last time.
Darcie Brohman, forward and midfielder, McMaster women's field hockey team
Despite their inexperience it seems as though the first-year players, specifically Brohman, have the team in good hands. Her performance against McGill, her university game where she scored and gave two assists, also earned her Athlete of the Week on Sept. 18, as .
Brohman attributed her success to the entire Marauders team and believes that it is only up from here for the squad; however, contributing to every goal in their first win is quite a feat.
"I think it's hard to get Athlete of the Week because it's never really one person. People have been congratulating me and I’m very thankful for that, but there's the whole team behind me,” said Brohman.
I think it's hard to get Athlete of the Week because it's never really one person. People have been congratulating me and I’m very thankful for that, but there's the whole team behind me
Darcie Brohman, forward and midfielder, McMaster women's field hockey team
After disappointing losses against Guelph and Laurier, the women’s lacrosse team looks to bounce back in coming games
On Sept. 10, the McMaster University women’s lacrosse team kicked their season off with a tournament style weekend which saw the Marauders take on the University of Guelph Gryphons and the Laurier University Golden Hawks in Guelph. Despite a strong showing, the team lost both games.
In their first game against Guelph, the Marauders lost with a score of 7-12. The second game of the day against Laurier saw them lose 6-15.
While these results may cause distress, the team is encouraged by their growth so far this season.
One major case of the team’s growth has been second-year player Lexi Sheppard. After a scoreless first season, Sheppard was able to bag four goals in her first weekend for the Marauders, earning her Athlete of the Week honours on Sept. 12.
Sheppard attributes her progress and the progress of the team to support from the university and positive leaders on the field. This year, McMaster also allowed the team to access field time much earlier before the regular season began.
“It was definitely way better than last year because we got way more field time beforehand, so we were able to work as a team more. Whereas last year [the season] was more rushed and we were pushed into it,” said Sheppard.
With women’s lacrosse being an Ontario University Athletics team, there can be many instances of athletes lacking access to facilities and services; such as the school’s High-Performance area, sports medicine services, and outdoor field space. OUA athletes do not usually get first choice access to these services, in comparison with McMaster U Sports teams. However, it seems like the increase in practice is helping the team to build.
“I definitely see us to be building to become a better team with the support of the school,” said Sheppard.
Another driving factor towards growth in the team has been the team captains. Both of this year’s captains, second-year Annika Perrino and fourth-year Cassidy Anyon, have caused a dynamic shift in the team with their presence.
“Definitely what's helping our team are the captains on the team. They really lead by example well and they’re a good positive influence. They make everyone feel comfortable to try even if they’re nervous,” said Sheppard.
Sheppard also attributed their improvements to the positivity and comfort encouraged by Perrino and Anyon.
“My teammates make me comfortable in trying new things. Last year I was kind of shy and didn’t want to be in anyone’s way, but this year they’ve done a good job of making it a comfortable space and causing me to not be afraid to go for it,” said Sheppard.
While the team is evidently growing and becoming better, there is some room for improvement.
The scores indicate that the team especially has space to improve defensively.
“We could work on communicating on defense and making it tighter so you’re always there to support someone. . .Moving forward [the team will be] just working on more of our defensive unit and our team play all around,” explained Sheppard.
If the Marauders can make this improvement defensively and quickly, they will likely be able to improve throughout the season. Combined with the growth of a positive team culture, this might be able to spur the team on for seasons to come.
C/O Travis Nguyen
With about two weeks into the new soccer season, Dusan Kovacevic has already made a name for himself.
It is not uncommon for athletes to progress well throughout a season. Certain players impress both on individual and group levels, but the story of Dusan Kovacevic, a member of the men's varsity soccer team, has impressed at an unprecedented level.
The first game that the Marauders men's soccer team played competitively was against the Algoma Thunderbirds. Expectations were high for the boys, considering the successful history with the Thunderbirds from previous years, so they had to put their complacency aside to ensure a win.
Sure enough, the Marauders swept the Thunderbirds seven to zero at the Ron Joyce stadium on a rainy Saturday. Although the team represented McMaster University welland went above and beyond, Kovacevic was the man on the pitch that stood out. Scoring a whopping four goals throughout the 90 minutes, he was the man of the match. Not only did he score four goals, but Kovacevic managed to get off ten shots, which was by far the largest tally in the game.
Shortly after the first game, the Marauders played the Thunderbirds once again. The Marauders won seven to two, marking another significant and impressive win for McMaster. Once again, the man of the match was Kovacevic, scoring three goals and bagging one assist. There's no doubt that the sharp shooter loves a goal against the Thunderbirds.
Shortly after the weekend during which these impressive wins occurred, Kovacevic earned himself an Ontario University Athletics team of the week award. Speaking to Kovacevic about his award and his general reaction, he expressed his satisfaction and cited that it was an honour.
“To be honest with you, I only found out because I got tagged in an Instagram photo. At that moment, it was very surreal and it felt amazing . . . To win this award was truly an honour,” said Kovacevic.
When asked about the effect of COVID-19 on his progress, Kovacevic discussed how often he unfortunately had to delay training due to regulations.
“I did have my regular soccer training up until March 2020, but it all went to a standstill from there on. I did have some pick up games here and there with my friends, but it was no match for the actual training we had before the pandemic. I had hopes last year that by the summer of 2020 this will be done and that we will resume the season, but that did not work out either, so I am very happy to finally be back,” explained Kovacevic.
Many new faces have joined the Marauders varsity soccer team, meaning the team’s faring was unpredictable. However, the first five games have gone off to a good start for them; the team has a total of three wins, one draw and only one loss. Out of the 22 goals that McMaster has scored so far this season, Kovaceic accounts for ten of them, making him the top scorer of the central division. Additionally, the Marauders are currently leading the central division with ten points.
Although Kovacevic is very fond of the team’s current success within the league, he said that they have just begun.
“Everything against Algoma and the first game with Laurentian seemed to go our way, but we have just begun. The game against [University of Toronto] was very entertaining and they’re very good opponents. We’ve also got Nipissing and Ryerson to play soon, so it will not be an easy couple of weeks but I am confident that we will do well,” explained Kovacevic
When asked about the team chemistry and his confidence in the squad, Kovacevic was very excited to talk about how much he believes in them.
“I personally think that the squad we currently have is one of the best ones that I’ve been a part of. Although we have many [first- and second-years] coming in due to the COVID gap, they are very talented and fit in with the team well. All of the older ones, including myself, also get along really well and that is why I think that we are going to have a very successful season,” said Kovacevic.
The Marauders’ season is not over yet — far from it. After the regular season, if the Marauders place high enough in their conference table, they’ll play in the play-offs and eventually fight for the OUA title.
You can follow the men’s soccer team games and all statistics here.
By: Coby Zucker
With the departure of veteran outside hitter Brandon Koppers after capping out his eligibility last season, a void was created in the McMaster men’s volleyball team. Starting the season with a blistering 6-1 record, it’s safe to say the Marauders are managing well enough, thanks in part to the dependable play of third-year setter, David Doty.
Recognition was quick to come to Doty, who received the McMaster Pita Pit Athlete of the Week award following his strong early performances against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the highly-ranked University of Windsor Lancers, both in three-set sweeps.
“It wasn’t really something I was expecting,” said Doty. “I think I was more concerned about coming out of Windsor with a win. Going into someone’s gym when they’re sixth- or fifth-ranked in the country, and you have a chance to take them down in their gym, it kind of takes over your mind over your own personal [performance]. I mean, it was nice to have that recognition and I’m very thankful for it, but I think it’s more concerning myself with coming out of Windsor with a big win.”
As the starting setter for the Marauders, Doty is responsible for leading the offence on the court.
“Coach [Dave Preston] and I, we meet twice a week or so,” Doty said. “We go over how we want to run an offence against a team. We have a pretty good idea of how we like to run our offence. I think we have this idea of, if something’s working, just keep going at it. If something’s not working, we adjust and go from there.”
But even the best-laid plans need to be executed. You can toss up a pass, but someone’s got to smack it down. In the early parts of the season, that someone has been outside hitter, Andrew Richards. Second in Ontario University Athletics in hitting percentage at .374, Richards has been a force to be reckoned with over the team’s first seven games. The chemistry between Doty and Richards is hardly new; the two have been playing together over the past six years, both getting their start at Oakridge Secondary School in London, Ontario.
“Over the years it’s gotten easier and easier connecting with him cause we’ve played together that much,” said Doty. “We kind of just know what each other are doing. And he’s a freak human. He’s able to get up, to jump to balls I don’t expect him to, but you know every time he gets up there, he seems to cut the ball off at the highest point possible.”
Doty was quick in pointing the off-the-court leadership of Richards, along with the team’s other fifth-year, Connor Santoni, who is currently sporting a handlebar moustache, matching Doty’s own. Previously acting as a utility player for the team, Santoni has started to see increased playing time in his final season.
“[Richards] and Santoni, the leaders of this team, the two fifth-year guys, they’ve always done a good job of leading us,” Doty said. “They put their blood, sweat and tears into this program, so we appreciate everything they do.”
And needless to say, that effort has been paying off. Despite Doty’s assertion that the competition this year is fiercer than ever, with most teams in striking distance of one another, the Marauders opened the season with two sweeps. The Queen’s University Gaels were able to put a damper on the early momentum after a tough 2-3 loss.
“Well the first two sets against Queen’s, they played outstanding,” said Doty. “They were passing well, they were digging some balls we weren’t really expecting them to be digging up. And we made too many errors, which is why we lost that game.”
Men's Volleyball -- @santoni11 had a career night, as @MACMVB rolled to a fourth straight sweep at the expense of the Guelph Gryphons Saturday. #GoMacGo https://t.co/JCwBflcLEx
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) November 25, 2018
That game seemed to only be a slight hitch for the Marauders who have since bounced back with four straight three-set sweeps over the Royal Military College of Canada, Trent University, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Guelph. So far, Doty and the rest of the team have been putting together a run that is shaping up to be a fitting send-off for the team’s two fifth-years.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
