OTTAWA - Algonquin College plays host to the 2013 belairdirect Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Soccer Championship, beginning Friday.
Along with the host Algonquin Thunder, three-time defending champion Humber College, Fanshawe College and Sheridan College make up the final four teams with dreams of a provincial title.
The tournament begins with semi-final matches on Friday. All four teams play again on Saturday, with the semi-final winners competing in the gold medal match to determine the provincial champion. The game is preceded by the bronze medal match between the semi-final losing teams.
Three of the four teams will receive an OCAA medal at the conclusion of the tournament, with the gold medalist advancing to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Soccer National Championship in Saint John, N.B. from Nov. 6-9.
Sheridan (8-1-1, 3rd West) vs. Humber (7-1-1, 1st West)
Friday, Oct. 25 - 11 a.m.
These division rivals are also playoff rivals, having competed against each other in the last three OCAA championships, all won by Humber, all by one goal. The Bruins and Hawks met in the gold medal match for two straight seasons before last year's match in the semi-finals.
This year's regular season match solved nothing, ending in a scoreless draw.
Along with Fanshawe, these teams were tied at the top of the OCAA West standings at the end of the regular season with 6-1-1 records. Sheridan drew the short straw in the tiebreaker, needing two wins to advance to the championship. The Bruins defeated Redeemer 2-1 on home turf before a 3-1 win at Centennial. Five different players have scored for Sheridan this post-season.
Humber advanced to the OCAA championship following a 5-0 home win over Fleming. Second-year forward Marcos Nunes (Brampton) scored a pair of goals in the victory.
Nicolas Lindsay (Brampton) has missed the Sheridan's last four matches, but could be an x-factor if he can return to the line-up. Lindsay led the OCAA with 11 goals in six matches.
The Hawks are the three-time defending OCAA champions as well as reigning national champions. Sheridan has also earned OCAA medals the past three seasons, including two silver and one bronze.
Fanshawe (7-1-1, 1st West) vs. Algonquin (7-0-2, 1st East)
Friday, Oct. 25 - 2 p.m.
Two teams that have not advanced to the OCAA final four since 2009 will meet in the second OCAA semi-final.
Algonquin put together a string of six consecutive provincial titles (along with a pair of national crowns) ending in 2009. Since then, the Thunder have had hard luck in the OCAA quarter-final round, before last Saturday's 3-1 win over Niagara.
The Thunder have one of the OCAA's leading scorers in second-year forward Abraham Kamara (Ottawa). He scored eight goals in six regular season matches, and added one more in the win over Niagara.
As the lone remaining undefeated team in the OCAA, Algonquin must now defend against the best of what the OCAA West has to offer. This includes Fanshawe, which is currently on a six-game win streak.
Fanshawe defeated Seneca 3-0 in the quarter-finals to earn a berth to provincials. Veteran Milos Janikic (Toronto) leads the Falcons with five goals in nine matches, including one against Seneca.
Algonquin edged Fanshawe 1-0 in the 2009 OCAA semi-finals. The Thunder went on to win gold, while the Falcons took bronze.
All games will take place at the Algonquin Soccer Facility located on the Woodroffe Campus of Algonquin College. All matches will be webcast on OCAATV.com.
Championship Website: www.algonquinsa.com/athletics/ocaams.aspx
Championship Schedule
Friday, October 25
OCAA Semi-Finals
Sheridan vs. Humber - 11 a.m.
Fanshawe vs. Algonquin - 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 26
Bronze Medal Match
Semi-Final Losing Teams - 11 a.m.
*Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Semi-Final Winning Teams - 2 p.m.
*OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 11 sports.
For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com