PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – A provincial title – that is what Durham College men's soccer coach Dave Ashfield has been building his program towards – and on Saturday afternoon the Lords have a shot at it for the first time in 20 years.
 
That is all thanks to a team effort and a Nicholas Axhorn (Pickering, Ont.) goal on Friday against the Niagara Knights in a 1-0 victory.
 
"As a coaching staff we are very proud of our accomplishment today," said Ashfield. "We were very flat in the first half, but we challenged the team at halftime and they responded in the second half with a great performance."
 
After the opening 45 minutes the teams were tied 0-0, with Niagara out chancing the Lords 10-3.
 
In the second half, like the coaches wanted, Durham had a better 45 minutes. They had seven shots compared to Niagara's five, but the key opportunity was off a free kick in the 70^th minute.
 
Axhorn got on the end of it, deflecting it past Niagara's Sam Robson on Durham's second shot on goal in the match.
 
Niagara pressed for the remainder of the match, with few chances for the Lords, but multiple free kicks for the Knights. That includes one in stoppage time with everyone up, including Robson, but finally the whistle would go as Bruce Cullen (Pickering, Ont.) cleared the ball to half to bring an end to the match.
 
Durham will now face Algonquin in the final at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in Peterborough at Fleming College Sport Complex. This season the Lords are 1-1 against the Thunder.
 
The Lords opened the season with a 2-0 victory in Ottawa, before falling 1-0 to Algonquin in Oshawa.
 
For the Lords, their last provincial medal was 1999, a bronze. Their last provincial final appearance was 1997, which they won after taking home silver in 1996.
 
To watch the final online, visit the Fleming Knights YouTube page.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS
Overall Record: 11-5-2
Conference Record: 6-3-1

Next Game: OCAA GOLD MEDAL GAME
Saturday, Oct. 28 vs. Algonquin Thunder (2:30 PM – Peterborough, Ont.)