Khalil Miller and Mychael Paulo bring DPOY and all-star honors to McMaster after a hard-fought season
The McMaster University men’s basketball season brought a slew of ups and downs for the team. From losing in a few very close contests to teams such as the University of Windsor Lancers and Toronto Metropolitan University Bold and forfeiting games due to an ineligible player to big wins against the University of Waterloo Warriors and Nippising University Lakers the Marauders had a taste of everything.
Though the season may have not gone the way the Marauders had wanted, they still were able to land themselves in a playoff spot. They faced a known opponent, TMU, and would play this game on the road.
This matchup saw the Marauders fall short of the TMU Bold, losing 94-104. This was a disappointing loss for the team which ended their short playoff run.
“Something that went wrong in the TMU game that I would say from my point of view, we just didn’t play hard enough, some guys wanted it more than other guys,” said Khalil Miller, a fifth year forward.
Unlike their previous season, which saw the team advance to the Ontario University Athletics West finals, the Marauders seem as though they weren’t able to compete against the Bold. Though the season ended in a discouraging manner, the Marauders were still able to land two impressive awards.
After the season ended, Khalil Miller was awarded the OUA Defensive Player of the Year and Mycheal Paulo was named an OUA Third Team All- Star. With both being senior players, it caps a great career for the duo.
Paulo consistently put up big points for the Marauders this season, averaging 13.5 points per game. Playing as McMaster’s guard, his offensive efficiency showed, while he put up great numbers on defense as well. He finished the season with 34 steals, and 10 blocks.
Miller also put in great performances in the past season, helping the Marauders strengthen their defense all season. He ended his season with an OUA high of 54 blocks and 156 defensive rebounds.
“With me, I strive off of my defense, I just don’t like seeing the other team score on my basket, so I do everything possible to make that not happen. I also played volleyball when I was younger so I feel like that helps in my approach to shot blocking,” explained Miller.
Miller helped the Marauders in numerous games this past season and his defensive effort helped in seeing out numerous games. His hard work has paid off, as the fifth year forward has signed his first professional contract.
“I recently signed my first professional contract, I will be playing out in Nova Scotia. It’s just the beginning for me and I know my ceiling is high when it comes to playing professionally, just have to keep at it and work hard and it will pay off down the road,” said Miller.
As both Paulo and Miller depart the Marauder roster, the team will look to strengthen their roster in the coming season. With a disappointing end to their previous season, they look to come back stronger in the next.
Coming off a big season with five key graduating members, the sense of urgency has kicked in for a team hungry to wreak havoc
The Marauders women’s basketball officially ended their season with 16 wins and five losses, but are coming off a streak of 15 wins in their last 17 games, and have only gotten better as time has passed. Their final two games of the season proved the capabilities of the team, showcasing their talents.
The Marauders downed the Waterloo Warriors on Feb. 17 in a 20-point victory and the Toronto Varsity Blues on Feb. 18 in the way of a 21-point victory. Sarah Gates and Jenna Button played a key role in these victories, Button putting up 25 points, and Gates putting up 36 (23 at half) against UofT. Gates, McMaster’s single game points record holder and all time points record holder, also put up 41 against the Warriors.
“Both of those games were such solid team wins. Everyone got on the floor [and] contributed in some way. When our team is working so well together, it’s easy individually to succeed, and we saw that. . . This is the perfect bounce back from our TMU loss from a couple weekends ago. We use it as a motivator going into the playoffs, and a reminder that we can’t take our foot off the gas,” said Gates.
"This is the perfect bounce back from our TMU loss from a couple weekends ago. We use it as a motivator going into the playoffs, and a reminder that we can’t take our foot off the gas."
Sarah Gates, Women's Basketball Team & Canadian Leading Scorer
Gates has been the team centerpiece all season long, having led all of Canada in points per game, even having surpassed the next leading scorer by nearly 5 PPG, but she wasn’t the only member of the team to find the national leaderboards, as Mia Spadafora led the nation in three point percentage.
“I’m so proud of Mia, that’s something that she’s been striving for. We’ve all known that she’s an amazing shooter. I think that seeing this statistic helps her really believe it, and going into the playoffs, that’s huge. . . It’s really awesome seeing both of us up there,” explained Gates.
The team has been firing on all cylinders lately, but that comes after a somewhat spotty start to the season where they only won once in their first four matchups. However, those games may have proven to be some of the most valuable to the team, especially having come to early on.
“We’ve been on such a good rise. Even in those first games, I know they were losses, but we were learning, growing each game. I think it’s something that our team has been doing so well with regardless of the score at the end of the game. . . That shift in our mindset will give us a great advantage going into the playoffs. We’re ready, we’ve growth throughout this season,” said Gates.
The success for the team comes as a big deal in what was an extremely quick rebuild turnaround for the team. After what was expected to be a down year in 2021-2022, the team still managed to finish with 10 wins and seven losses, surpassing what most expected of them. Despite having provided some resistance in the playoffs, they were eliminated in their second round matchup. The team has been working to improve on that ever since, and their regular season record suggests the realism in that goal.
“Last year [people] thought it was a rebuilding year, we were doing really well but didn’t quite get that outcome towards the end of playoffs. That sucked in the moment, but it was such a fuel to the fire going into a huge offseason. . . It was the discipline and motivation that we had in the offseason that kept us rolling this year. It’s unfinished business,” explained Gates.
"That sucked in the moment, but it was such a fuel to the fire going into a huge offseason. . . It was the discipline and motivation that we had in the offseason that kept us rolling this year. It’s unfinished business."
Sarah Gates
The team will kick off their playoff run on Feb. 25 in Burridge Gym, at home against the Guelph Gryphons. Their last matchup against the 17 win and six loss Gryphons resulted in a final score of 82-73, in favor of the Gryphons on Nov. 30, so it should be a very competitive matchup.
Following their Feb. 17 loss to TMU, the Marauders suffer their second loss of the weekend at the hands of the Toronto Varsity Blues
A poor finish to the regular season isn’t what many expected to see for the Marauders men’s volleyball team after starting their season with 18 consecutive wins, yet, it happened. It marks the first time since February 2016 that the team has lost back-to-back regular season games. Ironically, the Toronto Varsity Blues were also a part of that losing streak.
Though the Varsity Blues are a stronger opponent then the Toronto Metropolitan Bold, sitting fourth in the standings coming in, the 2021-2022 provincial championship rematch was still largely a game McMaster was expected to take. At least this time out, unlike against the Bold, the Marauders provided some resistance. They took one set by a score of 25 to 23, while losing another by a slim 27 to 25. The remaining two sets were lost by a score of 25 to 20.
The team remained short handed with Sam Cooper remaining out, and Tyler Pavelic having not played per his absence on the box score. However, Mateusz Wlodarski made his return to the court, and Maxime Gratton, whose availability remained in question, also played, making this loss more concerning than the last.
The two losses come as the final two games of the regular season. The Marauders currently hold the second longest losing streak, just to the 20 loss Royal Military College Paladins. On a positive note, the team still finishes as the sole victor of all 10 home games, while also holding the best record on the road.
The Marauders won’t play again until the Ontario University Athletics playoffs, where the quarterfinals begin on Feb. 25. McMaster will hold home court advantage throughout as the number one seed after finishing three wins above the second place Windsor Lancers.
After starting the season on an 18-game win streak, the team has officially lost their perfect record in the second last game of the year
Defeat – something the men’s volleyball team is not used to. The powerhouse Marauders took a shocking loss, their first of the season, on Feb. 17. The Toronto Metropolitan University Bold pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the season. They came into the matchup with a losing record of nine wins and 10 losses while sitting in the bottom half of the standings.
The Marauders struggled to keep up all game, having lost in three straight sets, but was it truly an upset? The team didn’t look like themselves, and this was likely because this wasn’t the team most were used to seeing.
“Still should have got it done, but it’s probably the most injured and sick game we’ve been in,” said Mateusz Wlodarski, a member of the team.
“Still should have got it done, but it’s probably the most injured and sick game we’ve been in.”
Mateusz Wlodarski, Men's Volleyball Team
Sam Cooper, a 2021-2022 first team all-star, and Wlodarski, a 2021-2022 second team all-star, didn’t see any time on the court. Cooper has been out since January with a foot fracture, while Wlodarski was out due to load management.
Maxime Gratton, the 2021-2022 Ontario University Athletics rookie of the year award recipient, didn’t enter the game until the second set. Gratton was sidelined from practices due to illness through the week, and his availability was uncertain heading in.
Despite the loss ending the possibility of a second consecutive season of perfection, there is still much to look forward to. The OUA playoffs begin on Feb. 25, where the Marauders will hold home court advantage throughout as the number one seed. The national U Sports championship, also hosted by McMaster, providing the Marauders with automatic entry, will begin on Mar. 17.
After a successful OUA campaign, the men’s soccer team took their game to the U Sports national tournament
After successfully defeating Toronto Metropolitan University in the Ontario University Athletic championship game, the Marauder men’s team looked to continue their impressive win streak at the U Sports national tournament. This year’s tournament was hosted in Kamloops, B.C., where the team would face both freezing weather and higher level opponents.
The OUA finals win was already an impressive feat by the Marauders as coming into the offseason, they were not the favourites to make it to the finals.
“The OUA conference is the toughest in the country for soccer and no one really gave us a chance, especially under the circumstances,” said head coach Chris Markou.
Through defeating the Guelph Gryphons, Nippising Lakers and TMU, the team did the seemingly impossible. They subsequently put themselves in a spot to take on the Thompson River Wolfpack, the hosts of this year’s U Sports National Championship.
Facing sub-zero temperatures, the Marauders would have to face two major obstacles. The first being the new weather, which TRU would be better accustomed to. They would also face an opponent who had much older players, bringing more experience.
“We had the youngest team assembled there,” explained Markou.
The first game of the tournament would see the Marauder side lose to TRU in a disappointing fashion. Following a tie at the end of regulation and a scoreless overtime period the team lost in penalty kicks. A missed shot by Justin Woods caused the team to fall to the Wolfpack team, finishing with a 5-4 score in penalty kicks.
Though the team put on an impressive display overall. The game finished 1-1 with a spectacular free kick goal hitting the back of the net by Miles Green. Other notable performances were put on by Ahmad Mansour, Sam Richardson and Justin Wood.
The Wolfpack ended up building on this early momentum, later matchup against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the final. TRU would go on to win this game by a score of 2-1, taking home the national championship on their home turf. The Marauders on the other hand would head into the consolation bracket as a result of their first-round loss.
The Marauders played the following day against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes. After a grueling 120 minutes of soccer the day prior, the team was unable to stand up against UQTR.
“We had just played 120 minutes against the host school and then we were back on the pitch for Friday on a quick 16 hour game turnaround for UQTR at 1:30 PM. There is little to no recovery time and we had a few players that physically couldn't carry on the Friday. To be able to mentally pick yourself up from such a close loss to play a consolation match the next day is such a challenge for any athlete,” said Markou.
After a red card was given to centre back Ahmad Mansour, the team lost control of the game. The final score was 5-0, seeing UQTR win and thus, having the opportunity to play a third game to challenge for the fifth place spot in the tournament.
Two disappointing results for the Marauders saw them exit the tournament early. But for such a young team the experience is invaluable.
“U Sport Soccer Championships was a fantastic learning experience for not only the players but for myself and my coaching staff,” said Markou.
Their last game against UQTR marks the end of the team’s season. As a team with a new head coach, and 11 new athletes joining the Marauders, the team will hope to continue their upward growth from here.
In a tense faceoff against Toronto Metropolitan University, McMaster won by one goal to be crowned champions
The final game of the Ontario University Athletics season saw the McMaster men’s soccer team take on Toronto Metropolitan University. In Saturday night's game at Downsview Park, the team looked to win it all.
Toronto Metropolitan looked to be a menacing side. Their team contained four OUA All Stars, with two players earning first team honors, and two winning second team honors. The team finished in identical place with McMaster, finishing the regular season in second place in OUA East Division.
McMaster had four of their own players named OUA All Stars. One player was named to the OUA first team, and three players were named to OUA’s second team. With both teams almost equally matched, the game would come down to a very small margin.
The match began with a slow tempo, without either side creating many opportunities. Within just the first half of play, TMU received a red card. The player given a red card was OUA First Team All Star, Luca Di Marco.
Despite the Marauders being up a player, they struggled to capitalize. It was not until the 79th minute of play that McMaster was able to score. A goal by Amir Shirazi gave the game to the Marauders.
McMaster held onto this lead firmly for the remainder of the match. It paved way for their first OUA Championship win since 2012.
Impressively, rookie head coach Chris Markou would take his first ever title while coaching the team. It is quite an accomplishment under any circumstances, never mind in a coaches first season.
This win puts the Marauders into fourth seed in the U Sport National Championship, hosted in Kamloops, B.C. The team will look to challenge for this years National title, with their first game against the host, Thompson Rivers University.
McMaster women's soccer season ended on a high as the men's team continues through to the OUA finals
The regular season for both McMaster University’s women’s and men’s teams came to a successful close earlier this month. Both teams have earned themselves a playoff spot, with the women’s team finishing fourth and the men’s team finishing second in their respective divisions.
In their first round matchup the women took on the Brock Badgers. After failing to reach the playoffs in the season prior, the team was looking to make greater strides this time around.
On Wednesday night, the Marauders did just that. Within just 30 seconds, Bryanna Caldwell found the back of the net. The top goal scorer made good on a corner sent in from Ignacia Jimenez.
With the wind in her sails and a loud home crowd spurring the team on, Caldwell managed to score an almost identical goal. Another corner by Jimenez found the head of Caldwell, making the score two to zero.
“Ignacia puts the ball in the box and I know where it's going to land every time. It’s a connection only we have. Practice makes perfect,” says Caldwell.
“Ignacia puts the ball in the box and I know where it's going to land every time. It’s a connection only we have. Practice makes perfect.”
Bryanna Caldwell, Women's Soccer Team
The Badgers managed to put one in, but McMaster responded with a goal of their own by Tiam Pourbakhtiari. Brock put in one more goal just before the end of the game, bringing the game to a final score of three to two.
The women’s team went on to the quarterfinals to take on the Western Mustangs. In a disappointing game though, the team lost five to zero, effectively ending their playoff run.
While the team did not advance further, they are still looking to grow in the seasons to come. Having made it further than they had last year, it seems their game can only improve.
“With every season and game we’ve played, we’ve improved. This series of games is just a step in our path in growing as a team.” says Caldwell.
As the men’s team finished in second place, they were given a bye week. Resultantly, the bye week automatically placed the team in a quarterfinal spot, where they would take on the Guelph Gryphons.
The last time these teams met, the Marauders lost by two goals. This time however, the advantage was to the Marauders as Guelph was not awarded a bye week. The Gryphons took on the Brock Badgers just three days prior in a game that took the teams to double overtime and penalty kicks.
The Marauders won two to one against the Gryphons. Goals by Amir Shirazi and Miles Green brought the team over the Gryphons and into the OUA semi finals.
Facing the Nipissing Lakers in the semi final round, the two teams met on a very foggy night at Ron Joyce Stadium. It was the furthest most members on the team had ever gotten, so the feeling of anxiety was high for many in what turned out to be a really slow start.
“Many of us have not been in this position before, so maybe the nerves got to us,” explained Bryan Florent.
This was apparent as the game at half was tied with neither team having scored. Fortunately, the Marauders turned this around, coming out of the break on a game changing streak.
“The first half was very much a stalemate with attacks coming from both sides. In the second half, we had a change in mentality. We realized there's a difference between playing fast and playing rushed. We played rushed, which didn’t allow us to create opportunities,” said Florent.
"We realized there's a difference between playing fast and playing rushed. We played rushed, which didn’t allow us to create opportunities."
Bryan Florent, Men's Soccer Team
The team came out with a resounding win, with Green putting away two with assists from Sean Ross and Shirazi and Ed Bryan Florent putting away one on the assist from Justin Baker. This win qualified the team for Nationals and secured them a spot in the OUA Finals. They will now take on Toronto Metropolitan University in a challenge for the OUA Championship on Nov. 5.
It’s been an astonishing season on both sides, with head coach Miranda Wiley and rookie head coach Chris Markou leading their teams to new levels. With the roads paved by the current teams, the future of McMaster soccer looks bright.
