CIS wrap: York keeps rolling, Alberta stumbles

The University of Alberta Golden Bears’ reign as the No. 1-ranked men’s soccer program in the country looks to be over. All signs point to the York Lions moving from No. 2 to the top spot when the men’s soccer rankings are released by CIS on Tuesday. Coming into last weekend’s action with a 5-0-0 record and a goal difference of +23, the Bears’ record was cause for a lot questions around CIS. Yes, the U of A looked to have assembled a formidable side, but how good was it? After all, the U of A compiled the 5-0-0 record against a soft-touch portion of the schedule. This past weekend will give the cynics some fuel for the fire. The Bears went to Victoria Friday and lost to the Vikes, 1-0. On Saturday, Alberta had a to settle for a 1-1 draw with Fraser Valley. On Friday, the defending national champs from Victoria snapped a four-game winless skid with the victory over the Bears. Craig Gorman’s deciding goal came on a penalty, after U of A fullback and ex-FC Edmonton Niko Saler hauled down Cam Hundal in the penalty area. But the more stunning result came Saturday, when the U of A allowed the University of the Fraser Valley — which has won one game so far this season — to claim a draw. Sasa Plavsic scored at the death to allow the host UFV squad to take points away from Alberta, which got a goal from Cameron Schmidt. Meanwhile, York, undefeated this season, won both of its OUA games this past weekend — a 2-0 triumph over Western and a 3-1 victory over Windsor which saw coach Carmine Isacco able to take off some of his starters in the second half. York’s Adrian Pena scored his 11th goal of the season in the win over Western, as he continues to make his push for CIS Player of the Year honours. RELATED: CIS: University of Winnipeg’s soccer program sanctioned for fielding ineligible player (CLICK) CIS wrap: Eddy Sidra makes his return to the No. 1 ranked U of A lineup (CLICK)