TORONTO - Following a successful regular season and two playoff victories, the defending Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) champion Humber Hawks play host to the 2023 OCAA Women's Soccer Championship at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont., on Friday and Saturday.
The Hawks are one of four teams that are remaining in the hunt for the provincial crown. They are joined by last season's runner-up Seneca Sting, Durham Lords and St. Clair Saints. These four were the top two teams in each division during regular season play, all successfully advancing to the OCAA medal round.
The OCAA semi-finals take place on Friday, leading into Saturday's medal matches. The OCAA champion moves on to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer National Championship in Summerside, P.E.I. from Nov. 8-11.
All games are being streamed on OCAA LIVE.
Durham (8-1-1, 2nd East) vs. Humber (7-0-3, 1st West)
Friday, Oct. 27 - 1 p.m.
Humber remains the only team not to lose a match this season. If the Hawks keep this streak alive for two more games, they will win their second consecutive OCAA championship.
The West Division champions are battle tested this post-season, defeating the Sheridan Bruins 2-1 in overtime before hanging on to defeat the Algonquin Wolves 3-2. Third-year midfielder Cara Serapiglia (Mississauga) scored the overtime winner and fifth-year player Emma Genova (Toronto) scored a pair of goals in the latter contest.
Standing in the way of the Hawks are the Durham Lords who are undefeated in nine matches, including a 6-2 win over the St. Lawrence Surge in the qualifying round, and a 1-0 win over the Mohawk Mountaineers in the quarter-finals. First-year defender Erin Michalicka (Pickering) scored the lone goal against the Mountaineers.
This match-up features two of the top three scorers during regular season play, with Durham's second-year striker Sage Thomas-Roberts (Toronto) scoring 22 goals, and Humber's third-year forward Kaitlynn Russell (Mississauga) leading the West Division with a baker's dozen.
Durham's last OCAA championship came in 2007. Because there is no interdivisional play during the regular season, this is the first meeting between these teams this season.
St. Clair (7-1-2, 2nd West) vs. Seneca (9-1, 1st East)
Friday, Oct. 27 - 4 p.m.
The East Division champion Seneca Sting overwhelmed opponents during the regular season, outscoring their rivals 85-5. It has been a similar theme in two post-season matches, as Seneca came away with an 11-0 victory over the Loyalist Lancers and a 6-0 win over the Conestoga Condors.
Seneca's fourth-year forward Shanice Alfred (Airdrie, Alta.) was the OCAA Scoring Champion during the regular season with 25 goals, but it is second-year teammate Francesca Famele (Brampton) who leads all players in the post-season with five tallies after scoring just twice in six regular season games.
The St. Clair Saints will be Seneca's toughest test to date. Unbeaten in eight straight matches, the Saints led the West Division with 46 total goals, while allowing just six against. St. Clair defeated the Niagara Knights 6-0 in the qualifying round, before eliminating the Centennial Colts 1-0 on a goal by second-year defender Karlee Tinline (Cambridge). Of note, Centennial was the only team to hand Seneca a loss during regular season play.
The Saints also had an OCAA Top 5 scorer during the regular season. First-year forward Victoria Walsh (Georgetown) scored 11 goals in 10 matches in West Division action.
Seneca last won the OCAA championship in 2014, while St. Clair hasn't celebrated gold since 1988. Similar to the first semi-final, because there is no interdivisional play during the regular season, this is the first meeting between these clubs this season.
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/wsoc
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Friday, October 27
Semi-Finals
S-F #1: Durham vs. Humber - 1 p.m.
S-F #2: St. Clair vs. Seneca - 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 28
Bronze Medal Match
Loser Semi-Final #1 vs. Loser Semi-Final #2 - 1 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Winner Semi-Final #1 vs. Winner Semi-Final #2 - 4 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match
- OCAA -
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Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com