TORONTO - Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men's
soccer enters its second season this weekend, as eight teams vie
for a spot at the upcoming OCAA Soccer Championships.
The top four teams in each region have advanced to the playoffs.
The quarter-finals pit the first-place team against the
fourth-place team from the opposite region. Likewise, the
second-place team plays the third-place team from the opposite
region. There is no inter-region play during the OCAA regular
season.
The quarter-final winners advance to the OCAA Soccer
Championships, taking place Oct. 28-29 at The Soccer Centre in
Vaughn, Ont.
Seneca (4-2-1, 3rd East) at Sheridan (7-0-1, 2nd
East)
Saturday, Oct. 22 - 3 p.m.
This game is a rematch of last year's OCAA semifinal game.
Sheridan edged Seneca 2-1 en route to an OCAA silver medal. Seneca
ended up claiming bronze.
Sheridan built a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals by Kevin
Avila (Toronto) and David Velastegui
(Quito, Ecuador). Kailen Murphy (Scarborough,
Ont.) scored for Seneca, but it was all the Sting could muster on
this day. All three players are back with their respective clubs
this year.
Seneca has a balanced scoring attack, with six players
contributing goals this season. Cristian Rodrigues
(Maple, Ont.) is the team leader with four goals, one better than
Murphy's three. Murphy is the reigning OCAA men's soccer player of
the year. Conversely, Sheridan had 13 players score goals this
season, led by Velastegui's four. Velastegui was named OCAA men's
soccer rookie of the year in 2010.
St. Clair (4-4-0, 4th West) at Algonquin (6-0-1, 1st
East)
Saturday, Oct. 22 - 3 p.m.
Algonquin won six straight OCAA championships between 2004 and
2009. Last season Algonquin was held out of the OCAA semifinal
round after losing a quarter-final game against Sheridan.
Algonquin has been stingy on defence, allowing a league-low four
goals this season. Offensively, Algonquin is led by a pair of
snipers. Abdul Ibrahim is the team leader with six
goals, followed closely by Jordan Mitchell-Reyes
and his five markers. Both players are from Ottawa.
St. Clair has the most ground to cover in these quarter-finals,
traveling approximately 800 km to Ottawa for the game. They do have
all-time OCAA goals leader Robert Malbasic
(Windsor, Ont.) on the roster, with 55 career goals to his credit.
Malbasic led the Saints with 10 goals this year, followed by
Leamington, Ont., product Jordan Lidia's six.
Fleming-Peterborough (4-3-0, 4th East) at Humber (7-0-1,
1st West)
Saturday, Oct. 22 - 5 p.m. (Vaughan Grove Soccer Centre)
Defending OCAA champion Humber was just as stingy as Algonquin on
defence this season, also allowing just four goals. Humber also
played one extra game.
Yousuf Mohammad (Toronto) leads Humber in goal
scoring this season, netting seven goals. Roberto
Galle (Toronto), Mario Orestano
(Woodbridge, Ont.) and Carlos Rojas (Brampton,
Ont.) have also been key contributers for the Hawks, with four
goals each.
Fleming is led offensively by Mark Van Beek
(Peterborough, Ont.) and his six goals. Fleming scored 12 goals in
total this season.
Conestoga (4-3-1, 3rd East) at La Cite (5-0-2, 2nd
East)
Sunday, Oct. 23 - 2 p.m.
Conestoga is one of the hottest teams heading into OCAA
quarter-final action. After starting the year 0-3-1, the Condors
have won four straight matches to secure a playoff spot.
Martin Mielnick leads Conestoga with six goals,
all of which came during the win streak. Felipe
Araque has contributed four goals. Both players are from
Kitchener, Ont.
La Cite fields the top scorer in OCAA men's soccer. Jose
Bruno Mota (Guatemala, Guatemala) scored 13 goals in seven
games for his second straight league scoring title.
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized
leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to
student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 31 members
sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.
For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com