The elite eight will be trimmed down to the final four this week in OCAA men's soccer.

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 this weekend. These four teams finished in the top two positions in their respective divisions.

Winners of last weekend's qualifying round will be the opposition for these clubs with an opportunity to advance to the belairdirect OCAA Men's Soccer Championship, hosted by Niagara College in Welland, Ont., from Oct. 24-25.

St. Lawrence-Kingston (2-4-2, 6th East) at Sheridan (6-1-1, 2nd West)
Saturday, Oct. 18 - 1:00 p.m.

The St. Lawrence Vikings have been living on the brink of elimination over their last two matches, but have come within a win of an OCAA championship appearance.

St. Lawrence-Kingston didn't win a match until its final game of the regular season, a 3-0 decision over Fleming which clinched the sixth and final playoff spot in the east region. The Vikings then pulled off a major upset over third-ranked Centennial, winning 4-3 in penalty kicks.

Fourth-year striker Gabe Jones (Kingston, Ont.), who led the team in scoring with four regular season goals, added one in regulation against Centennial. The Vikings were outscored 14-8 in their regular season matches.

The Vikings will visit a strong Sheridan team that has advanced to the OCAA semi-finals in five of the previous six seasons. The Bruins took home the bronze medal in 2013. Sheridan's bid for an unbeaten 2014 regular season ended in its regular season finale, a 3-2 loss at home to St. Clair, dropping the Bruins to second place.

No team has scored more than the Bruins during the regular season, outscoring the opposition 39-7. David Velastegui (Quito, Ecuador) led all OCAA players with nine goals, one better than teammate Raheem Edwards (Toronto).

Niagara (6-3-0, 4th West) at Algonquin (7-0-0, 1st East)
Saturday, Oct. 18 - 3 p.m.

Niagara is one victory away from competing for an OCAA championship on home turf. All the Knights have to do is figure out a way to hand Algonquin its first loss of 2014.

The Algonquin Thunder is the OCAA's lone perfect team this season, winning seven straight matches. The regular season has not been an issue for Algonquin the past four years, having not lost a match during this span.

But playoffs are a different matter. Algonquin is the defending OCAA silver medalist, losing last year's final to Humber 1-0.

The Thunder have allowed a league-low two goals this season, while leading the east region with 19 goals for. Abe Kamara (Guinea) scored five times to lead all Algonquin players.

Niagara outlasted Redeemer 1-0 in penalty kicks in the qualifying round to earn a shot at Algonquin. Carlos Williams (St. Catharines, Ont.) was Niagara's leading scorer during the regular season with four goals. Niagara was outscored by its opponents 14-17.

This is a rematch of last year's quarter-final between these teams, won by Algonquin 3-1. Kamara scored a goal in the victory.

St. Clair (6-1-2, 3rd West) at Durham (5-2-0, 2nd East)
Saturday, Oct. 18 - 5 p.m.

The St. Clair Saints took care of business at home in the qualifying round, defeating Fanshawe 4-1. Fifth-year forward Brian Santos (Leamington, Ont.) scored a pair of goals in the victory.

Having lost just one game in its last nine matches, St. Clair will now travel to Durham to take on the Lords, winners of three straight. Durham outscored its opponents 13-8 during the regular season, with first-year forward Sasa Vukoje (Etobicoke, Ont.) leading the way with four goals.

St. Clair counters with its leading scorer, Stefan Milidrag (Windsor, Ont.), who scored a half-dozen times during the regular season. St. Clair outscored its opponents 18-14.

These teams last met in the post-season in the 2012 quarter-finals, won by St. Clair 3-0. Durham has not advanced to the OCAA semi-finals since 1999.

Cambrian (2-4-2, 5th East) at Humber (6-0-2, 1st West)
Sunday, Oct. 19 - 2 p.m.

The Cambrian Golden Shield have as many wins in the post-season as they had in the regular season.

Third-year player Faruk Yahaya (Nigeria) scored both goals for Cambrian in its 2-1 upset win over Seneca in the OCAA qualifiers. Yahaya had no goals during the regular season, but came through with a pair in the opening eight minutes of the match, knocking Seneca back on its heels. The Shield hung on the rest of the way for the victory.

Cambrian's next task is daunting to say the least. Humber is the four-time defending OCAA champions, and two-time defending national champions. The Hawks have not lost a regular or post-season match since Sept. 14, 2013.

Humber was second in the OCAA in goals for and goals against, outscoring opponents 29-4. Third-year midfielder Jesse Assing (Bethany, Ont.) was the team leader on the Hawks with five goals. Conversely, opponents outscored Cambrian 13-9 during the regular season.

Source: OCAA Communications