Late match heroics from Meczarski extends No. 1 Men's Soccer win streak
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Clair (2-3-0, 2-3-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Humber (6-0-0, 6-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
By: Isabelle Ferrante
Humber Athletics Communications
VAUGHAN - No. 1 Humber men's soccer team (6-0-0, 1st West) escaped its Saturday afternoon matchup against the St. Clair Saints (2-3 4th OCAA) with a win, 2-1. Alex Meczarski played hero with a 90th-minute tally, finding the back of the net with time running out in added time.
The Hawks wasted no time getting on the board, scoring a goal in the third minute of play. Under pressure in the corner, Federico Leal played a beautiful cross into the box, finding the foot of Luca Uccello, who made no mistake finding the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Humber controlled much of the run of play in the first half but could not beat Saints keeper Nedeljko Malic and went into the break leading 1-0.
In the 71st minute, Uccello was taken down in the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Malic guessed correctly and dove to his right, stopping Uccello's shot and corralling the rebound. Less than ten minutes later, Uccello had another opportunity with a free kick just outside the box, but Malic was up to the task once again, making another great save.
Unable to put the match away, St. Clair was one strike away from tying up the game. In the 89th minute, Paolo Davia hit a long curling ball into the box that Nestor Lopez was able to bang home for the equalizer.
With their perfect season on the line, the Hawks finally began to play aggressively once again. Less than a minute after the equalizer, Danny Medeiros found himself with another scoring opportunity, but his shot narrowly missed the net.
With six minutes of added time by the referee, Humber pressed, looking to escape with the win. As time was running out, Luca Pinto was fouled in the far corner, awarding the Hawks a free kick. Luca Uccello curled a beautiful cross into the box, finding veteran Alex Meczarski. Meczarski secured the ball in the air and blasted in the game-winner off his left boot, beating a sprawling Malic for the win.
Humber Highlights
- The Hawks improve to 21-1-1 all-time against the Saints.
- Humber extends its win streak to 13 straight matches.
- Federico Leal's six assists are the most in the OCAA and two behind Babawale for the program record.
- Luca Uccello is tied for fifth in the conference with 14 points.
- 13 Humber players have now recorded at least one tally this season.
What's Next
No. 1 Humber will take on the Lambton Lions (1-4-0, 7th West) on Oct. 2 at the Ontario Soccer Center in Vaughan. Kickoff is slated for noon and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.
