2006 REGULAR SEAON STANDINGS
East (W/L/T)
Algonquin (7-0-1)
George Brown (6-1-1)
Durham (6-2-0)
Seneca (4-1-3)
Fleming P (3-4-1)
St. Lawrence K (3-5-0)
La Cite (2-6-0)
St. Lawrence B (1-7-0)
Centennial (0-6-2)

West (W/L/T)
Humber (7-0-1)
Fanshawe (4-1-3)
Sheridan (4-1-3)
Conestoga (3-2-3)
Mohawk (2-2-4)
Lambton (3-5-0)
St.Clair (2-4-2)
Redeemer (2-4-2)
Cambrian (0-8-0)

2006 OCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Gold: Algonquin
Silver Humber
Bronze: George Brown

THIS WEEK IN THE OCAA
Cleats will be tearing up the Soccer Pitch this upcoming week as the 2006 OCAA Men’s Soccer season continues nine games will be taking place. Cambrian and George Brown kicked things off on the weekend as the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw. This result proves that teams must throw the history books into the trash when it relates to Men’s Soccer as the Golden Shield finished 0-8 last season where Huskies won the OCAA bronze medal.

TEAM PREVIEWS

Algonquin College
2006 Regular Season Record: 7-0-1
2006 Playoff Record: 3-0 (Gold)
Championships Won: 7 (‘75, ’76, ’99, ’02, ’04, ’05, ’06)
National Championships Won: 2 (’02, ’06)

When you have been the kings of the castle for as long as the Algonquin Thunder Men’s Soccer program has, you remain in every team’s site and this year will be no different. Coming off their third consecutive provincial title and a National Championship gold medal, their second in five years, the Thunder will have a lot of new faces to blend into their team this season but the 2006 Defensive team of the Year (East) will be up to the challenge.

With nine returning players, fourth year coach Stephen O’Kane will start his season with a core group that includes returnees Stephane LeMay (Defender), OCAA Rookie of the Year Corey O’Connell, (Midfield) and Will Beague (Striker). Coach O’Kane have also secured rookie midfielder, Semir Hadziresic, who should provide a solid presence for the freshman class.

With the provincial championship being held on home turf, Algonquin should be ready in their attempt to four-peat and defend their National Championship title.

Humber College
2006 Regular Season Record: 7-0-1
2006 Playoff Record: 2-1 (Silver)
Championships Won: 5 (’94, ’95, ’98, ’00, ’01)
National Championships Won: 2 (’95, ’01)

The Humber College Men’s Soccer team is consistently at or near the top of the provincial soccer world each year. Humber had another strong season last year as they captured their division title, led the league in defense and won the OCAA silver medal.

This year looks to be no exception as goal scoring and goal keeping will be as good as ever. League leading scorer and All-Star, Mike Aigbokie, will be a force to be reckoned with on the offensive side of the pitch again this season. Not only is he capable of scoring in bunches, but has developed a knack of coming through in big games. In goal, Humber Freshman Male Athlete of the Year, David Ragno returns. David led the Hawks to the OCAA Best Defensive Team (West) award.

Head Coach Germain Sanchez will be back on the sidelines for yet another year and he will look to add to his two national championships, five provincial titles and nine indoor wins. His ability to mold a team in a short period of time has always been his key to success and this year will be no exception.

Look for the Hawks to once again contend for the provincial gold. Ontario has traditionally been a favourite for national honours and a win on the OCAA circuit may just open that door for a third national title Humber.

George Brown
2006 Regular Season Record: 6-1-1
Playoff Record: 2-1 (Bronze)
Championships Won: 2 (’72, ‘73)
National Championships Won: 0

Of the three medalists from the Provincial Championship in 2006, the George Brown Huskies will have the greatest number of returnees to draw from in 2007 with 10. With such a mass return and experiences presence the Huskies should have a firm hold on their direction and will look to second year midfielder, Matt Sorsak and fifth year veteran Luca Demontis for the offensive leadership that is required to contend for another OCAA medal. On the rookie front, Scott Nesbitt of Toronto will be one to keep an eye on in the forward position.

Eleven year Head Coach, Lucky Boothe is also coming off a superb season which saw him named OCAA East Coach of the Year and a CCAA Coach of the Year finalist. With the confidence that was gained from last season, they should be back in the mix of the playoff chase and improving on their bronze medal is not out of the question.

Sheridan IT
2006 Regular Season Record: 4-1-3
Playoff Record: 1-2 (fourth)
Championships Won: 3 (’84, ’90, ’92)
National Championships Won: 0

Looking to improve on last years fourth place finish, the Sheridan Bruins return no less than 10 players from their 2006 squad. Cameron Barclay (Centre Midfielder), Adam El Daba (Midfielder/Striker), Luke Thompson (Midfielder), Eurique Wilkin (Striker) and Pedro Figueroa (Midfielder/Striker), all of whom are returnees, will be complimented by a tandem of talented rookies in Thomas Jasiolek (Striker) and Gus Machado (Defender/Midfielder).

Tony Silvestri will also be returning to the team for his third season and will help guide his team back to the gold medal round and end the 14 year drought since their last provincial Men’s Soccer title.

Cambrian College
2006 Regular Season Record: 0-8-0
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

After a season where the Golden Shield struggled offensively, head coach Brian Ashton returns as the bench boss with an aim to improve on the 0-8 season that plagued the team in 2006. The team does return 2006 West division All-Star and third year player, Ryan Chisholm, to the Shield line up, but it is unknown as to who will compliment him until the season begins. The Golden Shield have already shown that they are not the same team as last season, as they tied George Brown 2-2 in their home opener.

Centennial College
2006 Regular Season Record: 0-6-2
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

The Centennial Colts will look to improve on a season which saw them battle to two draws and six losses in their eight game schedule. With a new face calling the shots, head coach Julian Carr, will aim to turn the direction of the team around and start building for the future.

La Cité collégiale
2006 Regular Season Record: 2-6-0
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

With nine returning players this season, the La Cité Coyotes will have a solid crop of veterans to lead a team still in its infancy stage in the OCAA. With that being said, their will be many new faces in their line up but none more important than new head coach, Jean Pamphile, who will look to infuse a new attitude that should help rejuvenate the Coyotes.

Returning players Emilio Avalos Mendez (Striker), André Laurin (Defense), Eric Dumoulin (Defense), Yalé Touzin (Midfield), Jean-François Racine (Midfield) and Vicent Joly (Keeper) will make up the core of the team that posted a 2-6 record in 2006 and with an additional year of experience they should be able to continue to build their program.

Durham College
2006 Regular Season Record: 6-2-0
2006 Playoff Record: 0-1
Championships Won: 3 (’80, ’88, ’97)
National Championships Won: 0

Left on the outside looking in, Durham College dropped their quarter final match up verses Sheridan College subsequently ending any medal hopes last season. The team posted a respectable 6-2 record during the regular season and as per usual, Durham should be back in the hunt if the nine year veteran coach, Stan Bombino, has done his homework and filled any holes left from graduation.

St. Lawrence – Kingston
2006 Regular Season Record: 3-5-0
Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

After finishing mid-pack in the East division of Men’s Soccer, the St. Lawrence Kingston Vikings will aim to improve on their previous year’s performance and finish the season with a .500 or better record.

Coach Leslie Lawlor still has some personnel questions to be answered on the first days of training camp, but the returning bench boss should be in a solid position to continue the development of her team. The playoffs may still be out of the reach of this team, but a winning record is certainly in their grasps.

Seneca College
2006 Regular Season Record: 4-1-3
2006 Playoff Record: 0-1
Championships Won: 8 (’68, ’82, ’83, ’85, ’86, ’87, ’91, 03)
National Championships Won: 1 (‘85)

Coming off a solid season that left them in fourth in the East division, Seneca College should be in the playoff hunt once again. If last season’s performances are any indication of the potential for this upcoming one, Seneca should be in striking distance of the usual powers as they were the only team in the Province to take a point from the National Champion Algonquin Thunder when they battled to a 1-1 draw.

Vito Colangelo will again be calling the shots as the Head Coach.

Fleming College - Peterborough
2006 Regular Season Record: 3-4-1
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

Competing in the East division is never easy, especially when you have the defending National Champions and the provincial bronze medalists to contend with. However, the Fleming Knights did post a 3-4-1 record against division rivals and were competitive all season long. With a few more opportune bounces their way, this team could be a dark horse or spoiler in the East region.

Conestoga College
2006 Regular Season Record: 3-2-3
2006 Playoff Record: 0-1
Championships Won: 1 (’79)
National Championships Won: 0

Geoff Johnstone’s team had their season abruptly halted by a dominant Algonquin Thunder team 6-0 in the Quarter Finals last season. But, the Condors always appear to be in the hunt and 2007 should provide another opportunity for the team from Kitchener to return to the playoff scene and improve on their playoff finish from a year ago.

Fanshawe College
2006 Regular Season Record: 4-1-3
2006 Playoff Record: 0-1
Championships Won: 5 (’74, ’77, ’78, ’93, ’96)
National Championships Won: 0

The Falcons had a decent season in 2006 finishing second in the West division resulting in a trip to the post season. Unfortunately they ran into a determined George Brown College and lost their quarter final match-up 4-3 in a heartbreaker.

This season, Head Coach, Paul D’Hollander, should have the red and white back in the thick of the chase and ready to make a run at the West division title.

Lambton College
2006 Regular Season Record: 3-5-0
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

The Lambton Lions have gone through some changes in the off season and will sport a new logo in 2007 as well as a new head coach. Angus Black will trade in his cleats for a clipboard and make his way behind the bench after finishing his career as a Lambton player last season. One of two Lions to be names League All-stars in 2006, Black will try to make his coaching debut a winning one, turning around the previous 3-5 season. With youth and energy behind the bench and on the field, look for Lambton to be on the prowl.

Mohawk College
2006 Regular Season Record: 2-2-4
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 5 (’69, ’70, ’71, ’81, ’89)
National Championships Won: 1 (’89)

2006 was a season of close calls and near misses for the Mohawk Mountaineers men’s soccer program. Although they failed to make the play-offs, they were one team capable of trading places with any of the teams ahead of them in their region. With four ties and two losses, one loss by a single goal, the Mountaineers should be in the mix again this year.

The team will welcome back “007” James Bond (forward), who played for the Mountaineers two seasons ago, as well as defenders Joe Griece and Zoran Tomasevic. In his seventh year with the team, head coach Richard Bennett will hope for a trip back to OCAA post season. With any friendly bounces they should be able to duplicate last season’s effort and be a contender in the West Region.

Niagara College
2006 Regular Season Record: did not participate
2006 Playoff Record: did not participate
2006 Exhibition Results: 3-0-2
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

New to the league this season, the upstart Niagara Knights will be competing in the West division after having an impressive exhibition season in 2006 that resulted in the team posting three victories and two ties in five games. The school has found success on the Indoor Soccer scene in the past, most recently finishing in the top eight at the 2007 Provincial Indoor Championship. They will return seven players from last year’s exhibition season including Eric Klein (Defense), Darren Marinelli (Defense), Anthony Fiore (Defense) Josh Cassolato (Forward), Nik Krstulic (Midfield) and Keith Stouffer (Midfield).

The team has also added newcomers Anthony Bove (Midfielder), Fraser Anderson (Midfielder), Matt Meidema (Defense) and Marco Campisano (Forward) to the lineup. With a solid base to build from Head Coach, Anthony Ventresca, should be able to have his team in line to have a respectable first season.

Redeemer University College
2006 Regular Season Record: 2-4-2
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

The Redeemer University-College program has been busy in the off-season, making several key additions that should help the team improve on their two wins from a year ago.

New to the team will be first year player Adrian Vandervaart, a midfielder who should push for a starting position and make an immediate impact to the team’s dynamics. He will be joined by a trio of returnees led by Jesse Harrison (Midfielder), Joel VanAndel (Striker) and Jon Vanderheiden (Defense).

On the coaching side, Head Coach Dave Mantel has plucked Tom Sauders from the Women’s Soccer team to assist on the sidelines and with seven years coaching experience it should be a good fit and a positive improvement.

St. Clair College
2006 Regular Season Record: 2-4-2
2006 Playoff Record: did not qualify
Championships Won: 0
National Championships Won: 0

Bouncing back will be the name of the game for the St. Clair Saints this season. Going 2-4-2 in 2006, Head Coach Mike Baraslievski has one returning All-star to rally his team around in second year player, Toni Crnjac, as well as a key addition in rookie, Rob Malbasic, (Forward) an OFSAA champion from St. Joseph’s High School in Windsor.

Bring the team into the season with a fresh outlook and with the goal of notching a .500 record, nothing is out of reach for the Lions and this team should be competitive and motivated to qualify for the provincial championship.