The Conestoga Condors earned the program’s first gold medal since 1979 as they defeated the four-time defending champion Humber Hawks 3-0 at the OCAA Provincial Championship at Esther Shiner Stadium. In the bronze medal match, the George Brown Huskies dropped a 3-1 decision to the Seneca Sting.
“I’m proud of how our players competed today,” Huskies head coach John Williams explained. “We didn’t accomplish what we set out to this weekend, but it’s a learning experience for these student-athletes moving forward.”
In the bronze medal match, the Huskies struck first in the 16th minute. Off a rebound, midfielder Mark Do Coito was in the right place at the right time to tap in the opening goal. It didn’t take long for the Sting to respond however. In the 28th minute, Andres Ortiz converted a beautiful strike to even up the score, and it remained 1-1 after the first half.
The Sting came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. They scored two goals in the first 20 minutes to put the match out of reach. It marks the fourth straight medal for Seneca and the third consecutive time George Brown finished in the top four.
The gold medal match was a battle between the Condors and the Hawks. Humber was looking to be only the second school in OCAA history to win five straight Provincial Championships, while Conestoga was hoping to win the program’s first gold medal in 44 years.
Conestoga opened the scoring in the 17th minute as the captain, Malachi Ramsay, got to the loose ball off a corner to give them the lead.
Humber had multiple chances midway through the half but couldn’t convert any. Less than 30 minutes into the second half, Conestoga scored two goals in four minutes, and they didn’t look back.
Ramsay was awarded the Championship MVP, while teammates Marko Lesic and Ricardo Alvarado earned Championship All-Star nods. James Lima and Keegan Wilson from Humber, Andres Ortiz from Seneca and Adam Wood from George Brown were also named championship All-Stars.
With the gold medal, the Condors advanced to the CCAA National Championship for the first time in program history. The event will be held at St. Clair College in Windsor, ON, from November 8-11, 2023.
OCAA CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
MVP: Malachi Ramsay, Conestoga
All-Star: Ricardo Alvarado, Conestoga
All-Star: Marko Lesic, Conestoga
All-Star: James Lima, Humber
All-Star: Keegan Wilson, Humber
All-Star: Andres Ortiz, Seneca
All-Star: Adam Wood, George Brown
