VAUGHAN, Ont. - It wasn't easy, but the Humber Hawks repeated as
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women's soccer
champions on Saturday.
Humber edged Algonquin 2-1, outscoring the Thunder 4-3 on penalty
kicks to decide the 2011 OCAA champion. Humber will now represent
Ontario at next month's Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
(CCAA) Soccer National Championships hosted by Collège
Francois-Xavier-Garneau in Quebec City. Humber is the defending
national bronze medalist.
The Hawks came out flying at the start of the match, taking the
play immediately into the offensive zone. Three minutes later,
Humber was up 1-0 when Bianca Barbieri capitalized
on her scoring opportunity.
Despite being behind on the scoreboard, Algonquin to its credit
took control of the match, creating several scoring chances in the
Humber zone. The Thunder were rewarded in the 18th minute when, on
a Chelsea McLean corner kick, Chelsea
Saunders headed in the equalizer, knotting the score at
one.
That would be all the scoring for the remainder of regulation and
a 30 minute overtime session. It wasn't for a lack of effort, as
both teams exchanged several scoring opportunities throughout the
match.
The deadlock was decided by penalty kicks, but even the five
attempts given to each team wasn't enough. After a miss by
Algonquin on its sixth attempt, Natasha Kroon
knocked in the winner, giving Humber back-to-back OCAA titles for
the first time since 2000 and 2001.
Kroon was named player of the game for Humber. Algonquin's player
of the game was goalkeeper Jennifer Kelly, who
thwarted a number of Humber scoring chances with her aggressive
play throughout the match. Kelly was also named the top goalkeeper
of the tournament.
Humber's Keyla Moreno was named championship most
valuable player to go with her OCAA player of the year and CCAA
all-Canadian honours. Teammate Jaime-Lyn Baggs was
named a tournament all-star, as was Algonquin's Saunders and
Fanshawe's Bailey Maxwell.
For Algonquin, they lived and died by the penalty kick at the OCAA
championship. The Thunder won its semi-final over Fanshawe 2-1 on
penalty kicks. Algonquin easily played the most minutes of the OCAA
championship. It marks their best finish in OCAA women's soccer
since winning silver in 2008.
Humber finishes OCAA play with a record of 11-0-0. Algonquin's
record dropped to 8-1-1.
An archive of the game can be seen on SportsLive.ca.
Website: www.ocaa.com/championships/2011-12/soccer
Championship Location
The Soccer Centre
7601 Martin Grove Road
Vaughan, Ontario
Championship Schedule/Results
Friday, October 28
Semi-Finals
Algonquin 2, Fanshawe 1 (Final - PK)
Humber 2, Seneca 0 (Final)
Saturday, October 29
Bronze Medal Game
Fanshawe 2, Seneca 0 (Final)
Gold Medal Game
Humber 2, Algonquin 1 (Final - PK)
- 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 31 members
sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.
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
Photo Credit: Jess Raymond