PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - Fleming College plays host to the 2019 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Soccer Championship beginning Wednesday.
All three of last year's OCAA medalists return to the big stage, including the defending provincial and national champion Humber Hawks, runner-up and national bronze medalist Sheridan Bruins, and bronze winner Fanshawe Falcons.
Four OCAA quarter-final matches take place on Wednesday, leading to Friday's semi-finals. The semi-final winners advance to Saturday's gold medal match, while the losing teams play for bronze. There will not be a consolation round unlike past championships.
Thursday will be a rest day for the semi-finalists, with the championship banquet taking place.
The other five teams advancing to provincials include the host Fleming Knights, Algonquin Thunder, Durham Lords, Seneca Sting and UTM Eagles.
The OCAA champion and Durham Lords advance to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Soccer National Championship in Oshawa, Ont. from Nov. 6-9. If Durham wins the OCAA championship, the runner-up will also advance.
Humber (6-2-1, 4th West) vs. Algonquin (7-1-0, 1st East)
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - 10 a.m.
Humber has won five of the last seven provincial and national championships and will face a big test right from the start against Algonquin, a program which has finished atop the OCAA podium five of the last six seasons.
This match will feature two players with a combined 31 goals. Algonquin second-year striker Malek Belhaj (Libya) scored a league-best 17 goals, the most goals in an OCAA season since 2009. Humber second-year forward Leaford Allen (Brampton, Ont.) led his squad with 14 goals.
Algonquin won the tiebreaker in what was a logjam atop the OCAA East Division standings. The Thunder allowed a league-low four goals against during the regular season, and defeated Niagara 3-1 in the opening round of the playoffs.
Humber allowed a division-low seven goals against during the regular season, and edged city rival George Brown 2-1 to earn its spot at provincials.
Seneca (7-1-0, 3rd East) vs. UTM (7-2-0, 2nd West)
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - 12:30 p.m.
A couple of teams that won seven regular season matches square off with a place in the semi-finals on the line.
Both teams had turnaround seasons having finished with sub-.500 records last year. Seneca improved on its 3-4-3 mark, with first-year forward Michael Washington (Ajax, Ont.) leading the Sting offensively with six goals. Seneca plays strong defence having only given up five goals during the regular season.
Conversely, UTM went 2-6-2 in 2018, although they did advance to last year's provincial championship. Faris Ammari (Mississauga, Ont.) and Mohammad Golmakani (Toronto, Ont.) shared the scoring lead on the Eagles this season with four goals each.
Both teams are coming off big victories in the opening round of the playoffs. Seneca defeated St. Clair at home 7-1, while UTM clipped Centennial 6-1 on its home turf. Seneca shares the longest winning streak in OCAA having won eight straight.
Sheridan (7-2-0, 3rd West) vs. Durham (7-1-0, 2nd East)
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - 3 p.m.
It is not deja vu, as a couple of more teams that won seven regular season matches square off with a place in the semi-finals on the line.
Both teams have finished atop the OCAA podium in recent years, as Sheridan is the reigning silver medalists, while Durham won the provincial title in 2017. The latter may be playing with the least amount of pressure this week, as the Lords have locked up an automatic bid to nationals as tournament host.
A couple of first-year strikers carried the offence of both teams during the regular season. Joshua Lee (Ajax, Ont.) led Durham in goals with eight to his credit, while Jevontae Layne (Brampton, Ont.) scored 14 goals for Sheridan during regular season action.
Sheridan is coming off a 5-1 victory over St. Lawrence in the opening round of the playoffs, while Durham downed Lambton 3-1 to secure its provincials berth.
Fleming (0-5-3, 8th East) vs. Fanshawe (8-1-0, 1st West)
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - 5:30 p.m.
Fanshawe shares the longest winning streak in OCAA having won eight straight, including a 10-0 outcome over Cambrian in the opening round of the playoffs.
First-year striker Malachi Morris (Tillsonburg, Ont.) led Fanshawe in scoring during the regular season with seven goals. The Falcons are looking to improve on their bronze medal finish in 2018.
Fleming struggled throughout the regular season, earning a championship berth as host. Fifth-year midfielder Michael Martinez (Kingston, Ont.) and first-year defender Aaron Schaub (Toronto, Ont.) share the team lead in goals with two each.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/msoc
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Wednesday, October 23
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: Humber vs. Algonquin - 10 a.m.
Game #2: Seneca vs. UTM - 12:30 p.m.
Game #3: Sheridan vs. Durham - 3 p.m.
Game #4: Fleming vs. Fanshawe - 5:30 p.m.
Friday, October 25
Semi-Finals
Game #5: Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 - 12 p.m.
Game #6: Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 - 3 p.m.
Saturday, October 26
Bronze Medal Match
Game #7: Loser Game #5 vs. Loser Game #6 - 12 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Game #8: Winner Game #5 vs. Winner Game #6 - 3 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com