OAKVILLE, Ont. - Sheridan College plays host to the 2013 belairdirect Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Soccer Championship, beginning Friday.
Algonquin College, St. Lawrence College (Kingston) and Seneca College - along with three-time defending champion Humber College - make up the final four teams bidding for provincial title.
The tournament begins with semi-final matches on Friday. All four teams play again on Saturday, with the semi-final winners competing in the gold medal match to determine the provincial champion. The game is preceded by the bronze medal match between the semi-final losing teams.
Three of the four teams will receive an OCAA medal at the conclusion of the tournament, with the gold medalist advancing to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer National Championship in Surrey, B.C. from Nov. 6-9.
St. Lawrence-Kingston (9-2-0, 3rd East) vs. Seneca (9-0-1, 1st East)
Friday, Oct. 25 - 11 a.m.
These division rivals battle one more time to determine who advances to the OCAA gold medal match.
When they met during the regular season on Sept. 20, Seneca blanked St. Lawrence 2-0. Second-year players Hilda Chmait (Mississauga) and Stephanie Harris (Bradford) both scored in the victory.
Seneca remains one of two unbeaten OCAA teams having won eight straight matches, including a 1-0 win over Mohawk in the quarter-finals. Including post-season, second-year midfielder Emma Gattoni (Thornhill) has scored seven goals in 10 matches, while third-year defender Nicole Forbes (Ajax) contributed seven goals in nine games.
The Sting are in familiar territory having advanced to the OCAA semi-finals in two of the past three seasons. The same cannot be said about the St. Lawrence Vikings, having not advanced this far since the OCAA championship was an eight-team tournament in 1992.
St. Lawrence's Sydney Midwood (Kingston) led the OCAA in goals during the regular season with 12 in nine matches. The Vikings are one win from winning their first OCAA medal since winning gold in 1987. St. Lawrence's only two losses came against Seneca and Algonquin, both OCAA semi-finalists.
The Vikings defeated La Cite at home 3-0 and at Fanshawe 2-1 to advance to provincials.
Algonquin (8-0-2, 2nd East) vs. Humber (6-1-2, 1st West)
Friday, Oct. 25 - 2 p.m.
Although these two teams play in opposite divisions, Algonquin and Humber have recent post-season history that the Thunder would like to forget.
Algonquin lost in penalty kicks to Humber in the 2011 OCAA gold medal match, and there are players from both sides that will take part in Friday's semi-final.
The Hawks are the three-time defending OCAA champions, and remain the lone West Division team in the post-season. Humber edged Cambrian 1-0 in the quarter-finals, with second-year forward Ashley Osorio (Toronto) netting the game-winner for the Hawks.
The Thunder remain one of two unbeaten teams in the playoffs. Algonquin spoiled Sheridan's chance at playing for an OCAA championship on home turf with a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals.
Algonquin is in search of its first OCAA title since 2002. Jaymie Baldree (Cornwall) was near unstoppable in nine regular season matches, scoring 10 times.
All games will take place at Sheridan College Stadium located on the Trafalgar Campus in Oakville, Ont. All matches will be webcast on OCAATV.com.
Championship Website: 2013ocaawsoc.com
Championship Schedule
Friday, October 25
OCAA Semi-Finals
St. Lawrence-Kingston vs. Seneca - 11 a.m.
Algonquin vs. Humber - 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 26
Bronze Medal Match
Semi-Final Losing Teams - 11 a.m.
*Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Semi-Final Winning Teams - 2 p.m.
*OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 11 sports.
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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com