SAINT-LAMBERT, Que. - The Humber Hawks and Capilano Blues battled it out in the cold and wind to see who would be named the 2015 CCAA men's soccer champions.
Despite a large and vocal contingent of fans supporting Humber, the Blues did not hesitate to establish their rhythm early in the game. At the 30th minute, the Hawks lost Dominic Roberts due to his second yellow card of the match. Only eight minutes later, the Hawks lost a second player, Joshua Paredes-Procter as he was sent off with a red card for violent conduct. Playing nine against 11, the Hawks fought hard to stay iin the game, keeping the scoreline blank for the first half.
At the start of the second half, the Hawks had little choice but to close the game down defensively, as the Capilano Blues swarmed Humber in its offensive zone. Capilano had a few close scoring chances but were unable to finsh off, while the Hawks had their own - missing a breakaway and a penaltiy shot. With boith team scoreless, the the game went into overtime, the first game of the championship requiring it.
Humber's defence continued to hold in overtime, frustrating the talented Capilano offence. Overtime saw no scoring, pushing the game to penalty kicks. Both keepers, perfect in the match so far, would be the determining factors in the game. The first three shooters from each team did what they needed to do - each scoring and keeping their teams alive. Capilano's fourth shooter went right but Humber keeper Eugenio Garro made a brilliant save leaving the door open for his team to take it, which they did when Humber's last shot found the back of the net. The Humber College Hawks are the 2015 CCAA men's soccer champions by a score of 1-0 (5-3), their third national championship in four years. It marks the fourth consecutive year an OCAA program wins CCAA gold (Sheridan in 2014).
Both keepers were name player of the match; Hudson Nelles for Capilano University and Garro for Humber.
ALGONQUIN TAKES BRONZE OVER HOST CHAMPLAIN
Depsite a low seeding and a rough first game, the host Champlain Cavaliers were looking for glory as they took on the Algqnquin Thunder for the 2015 CCAA men's soccer bronze medal. With the stands full for the game, the Cavaliers were being supported by former Cavaliers who were there to cheer on the team and provide support.
The Thunder quickly started strong and dictated the flow of the play. Their possession of the ball forced the Cavaliers to react, and eventually a beautiful passing play resulted in a hard shot that found the back of the net, putting Algonquin up 1-0. Before the end of the half, the Thunder had stretched their lead to 2-0 thanks to an Issac Johnson head redirection on a free kick played to perfection.
The Cavaliers played defensively in the second-half, but were unable to mount any serious scoring attempts, especially after injuries to two key players. The Thunder won the game by the score of 2-0 and captured the bronze medal. It marks the first time since 1999 that two OCAA programs win CCAA medals in the same season.
Players who stood out were Charles De Santis of the Champlain Cavaliers and Johnson from Algonquin College, as both were named players of the match.
Source: Champlain College/CCAA with files from OCAA Communications