A dozen teams made the cut in OCAA men's soccer, with four clubs earning well-deserve byes into the quarter-finals.

The Humber Hawks (6-0-2), Algonquin Thunder (7-0-0) and Sheridan Bruins (6-1-1), last year's OCAA gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively, along with the Durham Lords (5-2-0), will host quarter-final matches next week. These four teams finished in the top two positions in their respective divisions.

The remaining eight teams now enter an extra elimination round. These clubs will compete against division foes in a qualifying match, with the third place team hosting the sixth-ranked team in their respective region. The fifth seed travels to the fourth. The winners will then crossover and visit those with byes in the opposite division in the quarter-finals.

Unlike the regular season, there will be no ties. Extra time and possible penalty kicks will be used to determine winners. Last season, three games went to overtime with two requiring penalty kicks. There were 12 ties during the 2014 regular season.

The 2014 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship takes place at Niagara College in Welland, Ont., from Oct. 24-25.

Fanshawe (3-5-0, 6th West) at St. Clair (5-1-2, 3rd West)
Friday, Oct. 10 - 7 p.m.

The St. Clair Saints went undefeated in their first seven matches before dropping a 4-0 decision against two-time national champion Humber. This loss aside, the Saints should have confidence heading into the post-season knowing they were the only team to defeat Sheridan this season.

St. Clair gets a favourable match-up in the qualifying round, having defeated Fanshawe 3-1 back in September. St. Clair's leading scorer, Stefan Milidrag (Windsor, Ont.), scored two of his six goals in the match. St. Clair outscored its opponents 18-14 in 2014.

The Saints will be mindful of recent history, having lost at home in overtime to Niagara in their qualifying match last year.

Fanshawe was on the brink of elimination before winning its final two games to clinch the final playoff spot in the west. A late goal by Robert Mutambala-Mboko (London, Ont.) gave Fanshawe a 4-3 win over Mohawk in the finale, clinching a playoff berth for the Falcons.

Fanshawe has been outscored by its opponents 17-19. Cedric N'Guessan (New York City, N.Y.) leads the Falcons with five goals. Fanshawe advanced to the OCAA bronze medal match last season, before losing to Sheridan in penalty kicks.

Redeemer (2-3-3, 5th West) at Niagara (5-3-0, 4th West)
Saturday, Oct. 11 - 4 p.m.

Pressure is the most used cliché in sports. That being said, Niagara may be feeling it the most when it comes to the opening round of the playoffs.

Niagara's men's soccer program is on the upswing, but as host of the OCAA championship, the Knights do not want to let an opportunity to win a medal on home turf slip away.

Niagara's wins came against the five teams below it in the standings. Conversely, its losses came against teams above it in the standings. The good news for the Knights is that one of their wins came against qualifier opponent, Redeemer.

Carlos Williams (St. Catharines, Ont.) is Niagara's leading scorer on the season with four goals. Niagara was outscored by its opponents 14-17.

Despite its regular season record, Redeemer tied two-time national champion Humber 2-2, making the Royals a dangerous opponent. Redeemer also won last season's indoor championship.

Redeemer's Josh Elgeti (Peterborough, Ont.) is the team leader in goals with six. The Royals were outscored 19-11 in matches this season.

Niagara defeated Redeemer 2-0 in the season opener for both clubs back on Sept. 6.

Cambrian (1-4-2, 5th East) at Seneca (4-3-0, 4th East)
Saturday, Oct. 11 - 5 p.m.

The regular season finale between these teams turned out to be a qualifier preview.

Seneca defeated Cambrian 3-1 last Sunday. First-year forward Kyle Laborde-Ayres (Scarborough, Ont.), who led Seneca with seven goals in the regular season, scored once in the victory.

The Sting outscored their opponents 13-11. Seneca advanced to the quarter-finals last season with a 3-2 home victory over St. Lawrence-Kingston.

Cambrian's lone victory this season came against St. Lawrence. Three members of the Golden Shield share the team lead in goals with two each. Opponents outscored Cambrian 13-9.

St. Lawrence-Kingston (1-4-2, 6th East) at Centennial (4-1-2, 3rd East)
Sunday, Oct. 12 - 1:00 p.m.

After sitting in second place most of the campaign, Centennial was surpassed by Durham at season's end. As a result, Centennial will now play St. Lawrence for the right to advance to the quarter-finals.

Centennial is led offensively by first-year player Guedei Korei Djimi (Scarborough, Ont.) and his six goals. Centennial outscored its opponents 18-10 with its lone loss coming against undefeated Algonquin.

St. Lawrence pulled out a 3-0 win over Fleming in its regular season finale for its only victory of the season. It was enough to lock up the sixth and final playoff spot. Fourth-year striker Gabe Jones (Kingston, Ont.) led the team in scoring with four goals. The Vikings were outscored 14-8 in their games.

Although these teams were far apart in the standings, a potential upset could be in the offing as St. Lawrence tied Centennial 2-2 back on Sept. 13.

Source: OCAA Communications