The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men’s Soccer Championship kicked off today with the Algonquin Thunder and George Brown Huskies advancing to Saturday’s gold medal match with both teams picking up wins in their semi-final affairs.

The three-time defending champion Algonquin Thunder (Ottawa) defeated the Fanshawe Falcons (London) 5-0 in front of packed house in Ottawa. Algonquin’s Michael Tjarera and Tyller Farrell-Rose opened the scoring in the first half as the Thunder went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead. Algonquin came out for the second half flying and never looked back marking the score sheet three more times. Tyller Farrell-Rose scored his second goal of the game in the 48th minute taking the wind out of the Fanshawe sails. The Thunder will try and secure the “four-peat” in front of their hometown crowd on Saturday, a feat that has never been accomplished in OCAA Men’s Soccer history.

In the other semi-final match of the day, the George Brown Huskies defeated the Cinderella Seneca Sting (North York) 2-1, advancing to their first championship game since 1979. The two teams battled hard to the final whistle with Seneca having plenty of opportunities to even up the match in the final minutes, but the clock eventually hit midnight for the Sting as the Huskies ran on the field in celebration. George Brown will be in hunt for their first provincial title since 1973 on Saturday evening.

In their only head-to-head match during regular season, George Brown upset Algonquin 4-2 in Toronto.

The men’s soccer medal round will begin at 12:00 pm on Saturday when the Fanshawe Falcons square off against the Seneca Sting with the bronze medal at stake. The gold medal match will take centre stage when the three-time defending champion Algonquin Thunder takes on the George Brown Huskies at 6:00 pm.

The OCAA Women’s Soccer Championship medal games will also be taking place on Saturday hosted by Algonquin College. The gold medal game will feature the Durham Lords vs. the Humber Hawks at 3:00 pm. The bronze medal game will kick off the day’s action as the Algonquin Thunder will match-up against the Fanshawe Falcons at 9:00 am.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

Men’s Soccer
Semi-Final: George Brown defeated Seneca 2-1
Semi-Final: Algonquin defeated Fanshawe 5-0

Saturday, October 27, 2007
Men’s Bronze Medal Game: Seneca vs. Fanshawe – 12:00 pm
Men’s Gold Medal Game: Algonquin vs. George Brown – 6:00 pm


A complete championship schedule including game times and results will be available online at the OCAA website: www.ocaa.com. For more information on the OCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships please contact the Algonquin College athletic department at (613) 727-4723 ext. 7709.

The OCAA governs intercollegiate sports and promotes physical activity in its member institutions through quality athletic and campus recreation programs. It offers 15 varsity sports to 30 member institutions throughout Ontario. For more information on the OCAA visit www.ocaa.com.