Both sex soccer
Jeff Schouela

The soccer season ended on a high note for both teams and will play in meaningful playoff games this weekend.

The men's team capped a very memorable season with a 1-0 win over Western, to solidify first place in the OUA. The team finished with a 7-1-4 record, 25 points, one more than the Mustangs. The most prestigious fact is that they gave up the fewest number of goals (eight) in the CIAU. Props should be given out to keeper Mark Ignor, who recorded numerous shut-outs and once was honored as OUA athlete of the week.

The Hawks open up the playoffs this weekend against Windsor. The Warriors beat WLU 1-0 on Sunday to snap the Hawks season undefeated streak, but many starters did not play and the game was pretty meaningless for both teams.

The most important thing for the men's team is that every player will be healthy and available to play. That includes Striker Ivan Jurisic, who has only played two games this season. Also Forward Jens Schietinger, who missed several games with injuries, will also be at the Hawks disposal.

Somehow the team hasn't been ranked in the top ten all season but that will surely change with a playoff victory this weekend.

The Women's team also closed out the season on a high as they beat Windsor 2-1. They sit in fourth place with a 5-5-2 record, just one point behind Guelph. The lady Hawks built up some momentum as they have played very competitively in the second half of the season. More importantly, they battled a very tough Western team and lost 1-0, but Coach Barry Maclean was very impressed with the team's effort. Rachel Zuidervlet has certainly stood her ground all year as the Hawks keeper. Lorraine Hodds has also provided some leadership and timely scoring as she has also received recognition as Hawks athlete of the week. Rookie Melanie Witzell has also surprised opponents this year by tremendous hustle and effort. However this team doesn't have any superstars.

For the Women's soccer team to be successful, they must play like a unit, try to finish their plays and goaltending must be top notch.

The Hawks will have their work cut out for them this weekend when they travel to Carleton to play the top ranked team in Canada, the Queens Golden Gaels who did not lose a game all season, going 11-0-1.