VAUGHAN, Ont. - Humber College was twice golden at the the 2010 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) soccer championships as the men’s team defeated Sheridan College 2-1 on Saturday at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont.

Humber won the OCAA women’s crown 3-0 against Fanshawe College earlier in the day. Both Hawks teams will represent the OCAA at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) soccer championships in Edmonton next month.

The men’s gold medal game was a heavyweight match between two powerhouses worthy of playing for an Ontario title. Both Humber and Sheridan exchanged haymakers for 90-plus minutes in what was a dramatic conclusion to a well-played tournament.

Humber received the first standing eight count early in the game, as first-year Sheridan midfielder David Velastegui (Ecuador) hit what looked to be an innocent floater that landed in the top left corner of the net.

With Humber down 1-0, the Hawks starting throwing punches at the Sheridan net, but couldn’t land the equalizer as the Bruins held on to their lead at halftime.

It was more of the same in the second half as Humber, seeing its season shorten with each passing minute, continued its offensive assault. Sheridan, however, withstood the barrage and held on to its slim advantage.

But it was only a matter of time before Humber would finally land a shot. Fourth-year defender Endri Begaj (Toronto) netted the equalizer in the later stages of the second half, as the game looked destined for overtime.

Humber, however, landed the knockout blow courtesy of a goal by second-year player Nick Cisternino (Woodbridge, Ont.), sending the Hawks fans into a tizzy.

Knowing it needed to land another punch to keep its gold medal chances alive, Sheridan turned the offensive tables on Humber during injury time, using its goaltender as an extra attacker. But the Hawks withstood the barrage, hanging on for the win and championship.

Velastegui and Cisternino were named players of the game for their dramatic goals.

It is Humber’s first men’s soccer championship since 2001, the last time a school won both OCAA men’s and women’s soccer titles in the same season. The Hawks went undefeated against OCAA schools in 2010 with a combined 9-0-2 record.

OCAA also named its all-tournament team following the game. Humber third-year defender Marcelo Cappozolo (Toronto) took tournament most valuable player honours. Fifth-year goalkeeper Dave Ragno (Woodbridge, Ont.) and second-year midfielder Brian Alcantara (Toronto) were also named tournament all-stars for the Hawks. Sheridan second-year defender Cameo Ellis (Mississauga, Ont.) and Seneca College third-year midfielder Claudio Posca (Maple, Ont.) round out the all-tournament team.

An archive of the game can be seen on SportsLive.ca.

- OCAA -

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