SCARBOROUGH, Ont. - Down a goal, the Sheridan Bruins men's soccer team (8-1-1 OCAA) started the second half of their OCAA quarter-final against Centennial staring elimination in the face for the first time this season.
But an early surge just after the interval where they found goal twice in the span of 90 seconds propelled them to a 3-1 triumph and booked them a spot in the semi-final and the championship tournament hosted by Algonquin.
"We started off very slow while getting used to the pitch - it's grass, it's bumpy and it's wet - and I thought that we played pretty sloppy," Sheridan head coach Andrew Seuradge said. "In the second half, we picked it up, came out flying and scored two early goals, then did what we had to do to hold them off until that third goal sealed it."
In the early stages the Double-Blue were forced back on their heels, as they struggled to control the ball and connect on passes, while Centennial was aggressive in attacking.
In the 15th minute, the Bruins finally started to settle down and put together their best attack of the early going, but Darragh Roe's attempt at goal sailed just high.
A few minutes before the half, Sheridan would find themselves trailing for just the second time all year, as miscommunication in the back line coughed up the ball at the top of the box, practically teeing it up for a Centennial one-touch finish.
After re-grouping at the break, the Bruins found renewed intensity and were able to draw level just five minutes in.
David Velastegui fired an in-swinging corner kick from the right side to the penalty spot, where Kendrick Morales rose up to win it and headed it into the top right corner.
A minute later, the Double-Blue won possession after Centennial kicked off and were in attack mode almost right away after a foul gave them a free kick 10 yards from half on the Centennial side.
Velastegui was once again the trigger man, curling it into the area where a Centennial defender headed it up and over the keeper for an own goal that was credited to Velastegui.
Down the stretch the home side was relentless in their pursuit to draw level and they had a couple of quality looks, but all were either just high, just wide or were snuffed out by goalkeeper Michael Adjei-Kwarteng.
Nearing death, with Centennial pushing almost everyone forward in search of a late equalizer, the Bruins cleared the ball away from danger.
There, Mathew Santos won a race to the ball just outside the Centennial box and chipped it over the oncoming keeper to cement the victory.
The victory books a spot in the OCAA championship hosted by Algonquin on Oct. 25 and 26 for the Bruins, where they will square off in a familiar foe in the semi-final - their rivals from Humber.
"We know who we're playing next and we know what they're capable of, so hopefully our boys will be prepared for that," Seuradge said. "In training I think we'll keep doing what we've been doing. We're not playing great soccer [right now], but at the end of the day we're getting results and hopefully we can get a couple of injured guys back in the lineup as well."
Source: Sheridan College