TORONTO - There are now just a dozen teams that still have dreams of winning an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men's soccer title. This number will be whittled down to eight over the next two days.
Four teams have already secured their spot at the belairdirect OCAA Men's Soccer Championship, including host Humber College (9-0-1) and regular season regional champions Algonquin (7-0-3) and Fanshawe (7-1-2). Sheridan (6-3-1) has also earned a bye.
The other eight remaining teams will compete in the OCAA crossovers this Saturday and Sunday, with the winners earning the other four quarter-final spots. Teams will face opponents from other divisions, having not played each other during the regular season.
Unlike the regular season, there will be no ties. Extra time and possible penalty kicks will be used to determine winners. There were 19 ties during the 2015 regular season.
The belairdirect OCAA Men's Soccer Championship begins Oct. 29.
U of T Mississauga (2-5-3, 4th Central) at Mohawk (5-3-2, 3rd West)
Saturday, Oct. 24 - 3 p.m.
The U of T Mississauga Eagles will make their debut in the post-season in their inaugural OCAA campaign. They will need one more win to extend it beyond this weekend.
A win over George Brown in early October proved to be the tiebreaker UTM needed to advance. First-year defender Nolan Anderson (Mississauga) led the Eagles in goals this season with three.
The Eagles are in tough against a Mohawk team that is undefeated in five matches. Fourth-year midfielder Patryk Korbut (Barrie) and first-year forward Mohamad Mohamad (Hamilton) are the co-leaders on the Mountaineers in goals with seven each.
The winner of this crossover meets Algonquin on Day 1 of provincials.
Fleming (3-4-3, 4th East) at St. Clair (7-2-1, 2nd West)
Saturday, Oct. 24 - 3:30 p.m.
After going winless in their first two matches, the St. Clair Saints have won seven of their last eight matches.
St. Clair fifth-year forward Jordan Lidia (Leamington) was the OCAA co-leader in goals with a baker's dozen over nine matches.
Fleming is undefeated in four of five matches in October, helping the Knights secure a playoff berth. First-year midfielder Josh Penello (Fraserville) leads the team with four goals in nine matches.
The winner of this crossover takes on host Humber at provincials.
Redeemer (4-6-0, 4th West) at Cambrian (4-2-4, 2nd East)
Sunday, Oct. 25 - 2:30 p.m.
The Cambrian Golden Shield are undefeated in six consecutive matches, helping to lift them to second place in the east region.
First-year forward Marcello Tantalo (Sudbury) leads all Cambrian players with three goals in nine matches.
Redeemer has lost four of five games in the month of October, and will need to turn this streak around if the Royals want to play beyond Sunday. Fourth-year striker Lewis Tuininga (Orillia) has scored six goals in 10 matches for Redeemer.
The winner of this crossover battles Sheridan in the quarter-finals.
Niagara (3-5-2, 3rd Central) at Centennial (3-3-4, 3rd East)
Sunday, Oct. 25 - 2:30 p.m.
The Centennial Colts have gone undefeated in their last five regular season games to pull out a playoff berth in the east region.
Second-year forwards Tyler Dill (Toronto) and Ikenna Nkwocha (Nigeria) along with first-year forward Andres Sachez Guttierrez (Panama) have all scored four goals for the Colts.
Niagara is led by a pair of three-goal scorers in first-year midfielder Kimbel Donayre (St. Catharines) and third-year forward Andy Hein (Omemee).
The winner of this crossover is destined kick off the OCAA championship against Fanshawe.
- OCAA -
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Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com