Tickets Punched For The Party In Windsor
With most of the Provincial Championships taking place this past weekend, we know one thing for certain, there will be a new Men’s National Champion for the first time in five years as the Humber Hawks will not be returning to defend their crown after the Conestoga Condors were crowned the OCAA Champs on Sunday. The OCAA only has one spot available with St. Clair College hosting in Windsor, ON November 8th to 11th. So let’s take a look at whom is going to Windsor to represent their conferences for the CCAA Men’s National Championship in just over a week’s time.
ACAA
The University of Kings College Blue Devils defeated the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics 2-1 in penalty kicks to become the 2023 ACAA Men’s Soccer Champions.
Both teams had scoring opportunities early on with Aiden Whelan putting a shot on net for the Mystics. Blue Devil Luke Kotaska followed suit with a header at the other end, but keeper Tristan Brocklehurst was able to handle the shot.
Cooper Smith found the back of the net in the 16th minute to put the Mystics up 1-0.
The Blue Devils had a chance top even the score soon after when Dimitri Kyriakakis got a shot off in close, but Brocklehurst made a brilliant save.
Andrew McKenna made a great run for Kings midway through the first half but sent his shot wide. They got another scoring chance from a free kick just outside the 18-yard box, but the shot breezed over the net.
The Mystics Amath Bojang showed some fancy footwork to create another great scoring opportunity, but Kings keeper Rylan Logan made the save.
Kings made a few more runs in the late stages of the half but were unable to capitalize until a penalty was called during extra time and Michael Zinck put the ball just out of reach for Brocklehurst to tie the game.
The second half started out just like the first with the teams trading scoring opportunities. Kings had a number of chances early on but Brocklehurst continued to make some big saves to keep them from scoring.
The Mystics had a number of great chances as well, but were unable to convert. With no goals in the second half, the game went into two 15-minute overtime periods.
Both teams had great chances in the first over time period. Ian Kerr got off a great shot for Kings but Brocklehurst made the save. Aiden Whelan put a shot on net for the Mystics but keeper Rylan Logan was there to make the stop.
In the second overtime period, Kings had an early scoring opportunity after a Mystics handball, but Zinck sent his shot over the net.
With the game still tied after two over time periods, penalty kicks were used to determine the winner. Both teams scored in the first two rounds, but a miss by the Mystics in the third gave Kings the edge after they made their next three shots.
Rylan Logan was named the Lawtons Player of the Game for Kings, while Nick Bryden received the honour for Mount Saint Vincent.
The Blue Devils advance to the CCAA Championship.
RSEQ
The teams from the Cavaliers of Collège Champlain Saint-Lambert, the Dynamiques of Cégep de Sainte-Foy, the Aigles of Collège Ahuntsic, the Élans of Cégep Garneau, the Lauréats of Cégep de saint-Hyacinthe and the Cheetahs of Vanier College competed in of the RSEQ Provincial Championship this past weekend on October 28 and 29, 2023 at Collège Champlain Saint-Lambert. These were the four best respective teams in the RSEQ D1 college soccer leagues.
What the women did last year for Collège Ahuntsic, the men continued to cruise along in RSEQ Men’s soccer this year. The only issue was could the finish off their playoff competition and retain their Number 1 National ranking. in the final, they were in tough against the Lauréats du Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe men’s soccer team that was promoted to division 1 for the 2023-2024 season this past December. The Cégep’s request for promotion to Division 1 men’s collegiate soccer was accepted by the Quebec Student Sports Network (RSEQ). With its football and hockey team, the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe .
So there was a chance that a newly promoted team could be on their way to a National championship playdown in their first year.
Unfortunately, Collège Ahuntsic had other ideas and were on a mission. Behind goals from Charles-Emile Brunet and Philip-Olivier Fortier the Aigles were able to take home the gold for the first time since 2017 and the spot to represent the RSEQ at the CCAA National Championship.
OCAA
The Conestoga Condors earned the program’s first gold medal since 1979 as they defeated the four-time defending champion Humber Hawks 3-0 at the OCAA Men’s Soccer Championship at Esther Shiner Stadium. In the bronze medal match, the George Brown Huskies dropped a 3-1 decision to the Seneca Sting.
“I’m proud of how our players competed today,” Huskies head coach John Williams explained. “We didn’t accomplish what we set out to this weekend, but it’s a learning experience for these student-athletes moving forward.”
In the bronze medal match, the Huskies struck first in the 16th minute. Off a rebound, midfielder Mark Do Coito was in the right place at the right time to tap in the opening goal. It didn’t take long for the Sting to respond however. In the 28th minute, Andres Ortiz converted a beautiful strike to even up the score, and it remained 1-1 after the first half.
The Sting came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. They scored two goals in the first 20 minutes to put the match out of reach. It marks the fourth straight medal for Seneca and the third consecutive time George Brown finished in the top four.
The gold medal match was a battle between the Condors and the Hawks. Humber was looking to be only the second school in OCAA history to win five straight provincial championships, while Conestoga was hoping to win the program’s first gold medal in 44 years.
Conestoga opened the scoring in the 17th minute as the captain, Malachi Ramsay, got to the loose ball off a corner to give them the lead.
Humber had multiple chances midway through the half but couldn’t convert any. Less than 30 minutes into the second half, Conestoga scored two goals in four minutes, and they didn’t look back.
Ramsay was awarded the Championship MVP, while teammates Marko Lesic and Ricardo Alvarado earned Championship All-Star nods. James Lima and Keegan Wilson from Humber, Ortiz from Seneca and Adam Wood from George Brown were also named Championship All-Stars.
With the gold medal, the Condors advanced to the CCAA National Championship for the first time in program history. The event will be held at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., from November 8-11, 2023.
OCAA CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS
MVP: Malachi Ramsay, Conestoga
All-Star: Ricardo Alvarado, Conestoga
All-Star: Marko Lesic, Conestoga
All-Star: James Lima, Humber
All-Star: Keegan Wilson, Humber
All-Star: Andres Ortiz, Seneca
All-Star: Adam Wood, George Brown
Source: George Brown Huskies
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/msoc
Live Webcast: www.ocaalive.com
Saturday, October 28
Semi-Finals
S-F #1: Conestoga def. Seneca 2-1
S-F #2: Humber def. George Brown 3-1 (OT)
Sunday, October 29
Bronze Medal Match
Seneca def. George Brown 3-1
Gold Medal Match
Conestoga def. Humber 3-0
MCAC
With weather being a factor in the MCAC Championships this year, the blueprint may have been set for the future with the Provincial Championships moving the games to WSF South and North.
Here are the results so far and they will be updated later once they have come in.
Dates: Monday, October 30 and Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Monday, October 30
11 a.m. Women’s semifinal No. 1 — Providence 2 vs. St. Boniface 0
11 a.m. Women’s semifinal No. 2 — Brandon 5 vs. CMU 1
1:15 p.m. Men’s semifinal No. 1 — Brandon 2 vs. CMU 1
1:15 p.m. Men’s semifinal No. 2 — Providence 1 vs. St. Boniface 0 (ET)
Tuesday, October 31
10 a.m. Women’s Championship Final — Providence vs. Brandon — WSF North
12:15 p.m. Men’s Championship Final — Providence vs. Brandon — WSF North
ACAC
In the heart of the evening, the Men’s Gold Medal match at the ACAC Championships kicked off with the NAIT Ooks taking on the Keyano Huskies, both teams hungry for the glory of a gold medal.
The game began with a slow pace, but in the seventh minute, NAIT’s Jivan Aulakh broke the ice with a rebound goal. The Ooks made their mark early, putting the pressure on Keyano, who were now searching for an equalizer. In the 13th minute, a long-range shot from the Huskies forced a save opportunity that was expertly turned aside. But NAIT wasn’t done yet, and in the 22nd minute, Markus Sperling netted a second goal, extending the lead to 2-0. The script was being written, and the Huskies faced a 2-0 deficit just 23 minutes into the gold medal game.
Keyano launched a notable push after the second goal from the Ooks. In the 41st minute, they had a free-kick opportunity from 20 yards out, but NAIT’s wall stood firm, knocking the ball out for a corner. Despite the Huskies’ persistent efforts, NAIT held on to their 2-0 lead.
The second half commenced with Keyano showing tenacious energy and determination. NAIT defended resolutely, looking for opportunities to break through Keyano’s advancing offense. As early as the 60th minute, it became evident that NAIT’s game plan had shifted towards a more defensive approach, protecting their 2-0 lead in the gold medal game.
Then, in the 74th minute, Keyano’s Hafid Arellano unleashed a spectacular strike from 40 yards out, finding the back of the net just under the bar and over the keeper’s hands, narrowing the gap to 2-1 and injecting new life into the Huskies. With the score at 2-1, the Huskies continued their relentless push.
In the 84th minute, the Huskies found the equalizer when Elsgafi Ishaq headed home a cross, making it 2-2. As Keyano was awarded a free-kick right on top of the 18-yard box, they had a chance to seize the victory. However, the shot struck the crossbar, and the final whistle sounded, sending the gold medal game into extra time.
The extra time period was nothing short of intense, with both teams trading chances, but the goalkeepers held firm. As the final whistle blew again, the gold medal would be decided in a dramatic penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, it was the Keyano Huskies who emerged victorious, securing the gold medal with a 4-3 shootout win after a thrilling 2-2 draw in regulation and extra time.
Players of the Game:
Keyano Huskies | #17 – Dylan Stewart
NAIT Ooks | #1 – Connor Short
PACWEST
The Douglas Royals are the 2023 PACWEST men’s soccer champions after a thrilling gold medal battle with VIU that went to extra time and a shootout.
The Royals struck early with a 3rd minute free kick. Fifth-year midfielder Quintin Desaulniers curled a perfect shot around the VIU wall and into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Desaulniers had a second chance at a free kick at a similar spot in the 10th minute but fired over the bar.
VIU was awarded a penalty kick in the 18th minute but Royals goalkeeper Matthew Miller kicked out his foot while falling to deny Michael Heppelle of a goal.
The Mariners tied things up in the 29th minute. After Ashton Bryant fired a shot that hit the crossbar, the ball fell to the feet of Griffin Douglas and he buried his shot to get the Mariners on the board.
The Royals got another close-in chance in the 41st minute as all-star Burhan Waisy met a cross at the far post, but his one-time deflection was blocked by Matthew Coburn.
In the second half, the first good chance went to Douglas in the first minute of play, forcing VIU keeper Ben Chamberlin to punch away a promising high shot.
The home fans roared in the 54th minute as Chamberlin raced out to do a barrel roll to break up a 2-on-none break. One minute later, Royals keeper Miller raced out to block a VIU through-ball, but the ball bounced off his arm and he was given a red card. Backup goalkeeper Kiarash Ahmadpourbahnamiri was forced to enter the Royals net. Maxwell Dadzie took the resulting free kick, but his effort was deflected over the crossbar.
With the Royals down a player, their fans upped their chanting in support of their team. Yellow cards were given to the Douglas bench and VIU’s Greyson Chalifoux in quick succession as the game temperature rose quickly while the air temperature plunged to near freezing.
Ahmadpourbahnamiri made a brilliant diving save in the 80th minute to keep Mtatabikwa from getting his second goal of the playoffs and fell to stop a solid VIU header in extra time.
The best chance in the first overtime session went to VIU as Travis Brown narrowly missed poking in a deflection after a Heppelle free kick. The second overtime period saw the Mariners earn repeated corner kicks while the Royals had a few breakthroughs, but the backlines held.
In the shootout, after each team scored on their first three shots, Ahmadpourbahnamiri stopped VIU’s Travis Brown—the Mariners fourth shooter—for the only save of the penalty kick session. Royals defender Sam Azimzadeh scored on Douglas’ fifth shot to clinch the Conference title for the green and white.
As the PACWEST has a wildcard berth, both teams had already qualified for the CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championships, hosted by St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, November 8-11.
Players of the game were Travis Brown for VIU and Burhan Waisy for Douglas.
Tournament All-Stars
Top Defender: Travis Brown, VIU
Top Midfielder: Michael Heppelle, VIU
Top Forward: Matteo Falcone, Douglas
Top Goalkeeper: Kiarash Ahmadpourbahnamiri, Douglas
MVP: Burhan Waisy, Douglas
Sources: https://www.acaa.ca/sports/msoc/2023-24p/releases/20231029re5bd8
http://rseq.ca/sports/soccer/collegial/nouvelles/annonce-championnat-provincial-soccer-d1/
L’ÉQUIPE DE SOCCER MASCULIN PROMUE EN DIVISION 1
http://s1.rseq.ca/Files/GameDocuments/d0c8469d-ec80-4a0a-a1ef-84007ea6c890.pdf
http://www.rseq-stats.ca/collegial/soccer-m-d1/
https://www.collegeahuntsic.qc.ca/equipes-sportives/les-aigles-1
https://www.ocaa.com/sports/msoc/2023-24/releases/10292023ocaarecap
https://mcacathletics.ca/Soccer_Championships
https://acac.ab.ca/sports/msoc/2023-24p/releases/20231028ts2sul
https://www.pacwestbc.ca/championships/soccer_2023/Releases/20231030b-Release-MSC-Gold-Recap-VIU-DC