No. 1 Men's Soccer rolls to quarter-final victory over Durham
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Durham (0-1-0, 0-1-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Humber (1-0-0, 1-0-0) | 1 | 4 | 5 |
VAUGHAN – No. 1 Humber men's soccer team defeated the Durham Lords 5-1 to advance to the 2022 OCAA semifinals. The defending national champions meshed to put on an all-around effort in front of their home fans. Damion Kaye's two goals led the way for the Hawks offensively, while strong defence and solid goalkeeping from Holger Xhameta held Durham to one goal on four shots.
Match Recap
As the cold October rain poured down on the pitch at the Ontario Soccer Centre, the Humber Hawks were prepared to begin the 2022 postseason with their mind set on capturing the program's tenth OCAA championship in 13 seasons.
The quarter-final started as a tight matchup that saw both sides playing a solid all-around team game. The Lords played strong defensively to begin the match; however, Humber showed Durham why they are ranked as the top team in the nation as a rocket off the boot of Damion Kaye gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Kaye's 18th-minute goal was the first half's only scoring play. Durham was proving to be a challenge for the Hawks, as this was only the second time all season that Humber failed to score more than one goal in the first half. The Hawks had eight shot attempts, with four coming on target. Holger Xhameta made two saves on Durham's three shot attempts in the first 45.
Humber came out of the gates hot in the second half, scoring in the 50th minute. Brampton native Kadell Thomas potted his tenth of the 2022 season on an opportunity in tight that he made no mistake on. The two-time Canadian Premier League champion curled the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to put the Hawks ahead by two.
After Durham's William Lyden scored to cut the Hawks' lead in half, Humber exploded offensively and took a comfortable lead. In the 54th minute, Alex Meczarski potted his third of the season after Osman Hussein headed the ball over to him for an easy tap-in tally. A minute later, Damion Kaye would head in his second of the match off a corner from captain Luca Uccello. The teams combined for four goals in six minutes as the Hawks jumped ahead 4-1.
In the 80th minute, the Hawks scored their fifth and final goal of the match as Abdul-Azeez Babawale found the bottom right meshing of the net. As Federico Leal sent a through ball by two Lords' defenders to find Babawale, the Toronto native made no mistake to put the Hawks ahead by four.
As the match referee's final whistle blew to award Humber a spot in the semifinals, the Hawks knew their jobs were far from over if they wanted to be crowned provincial champions again. Humber won 5-1 and had 23 shot attempts, with 14 coming on target. Holger Xhametta made three saves and was awarded his first career post-season win.
Humber Highlights
- Humber will advance to the OCAA semifinals for the 13th straight season.
- The last time the Hawks won 5-1 in a quarterfinal matchup was in 2011 vs. Fleming, and Humber went on to be crowned OCAA champions.
- The Hawks' all-time record against the Durham Lords now stands at 6-2, with a record of 4-2 in the OCAA post-season.
- The Hawks have now won 12 straight OCAA post-season games and improved their home record in the playoffs to 13-2.
What's Next?
No. 1 Humber will be back in action for a semifinal clash with the Fanshawe Falcons on Oct. 28 at noon. The game at the Ontario Soccer Centre will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.
