TORONTO, Ont. - The Humber Hawks men's soccer team won their seventh provincial title in the past nine years on Saturday afternoon, defeating Sheridan 2-1 to claim the 2018 title.
Striker Tomasz Balicki (Mississauga, Ont.) opened the scoring just before the first half midway point. Streaking towards the net off a cross, the 5'9" scorer launched a header into the bottom left corner to give the Hawks an early 1-0 advantage.
In the 33rd minute, Sheridan midfielder Richard Ameyaw (Brampton, Ont.) would strike back, evening things up on a boot from about 20 yards out. Through 45 minutes the game was tied at 1-1.
In the 59th minute Humber connected for what would wind up being the game-winning tally, as Cody Green (Brampton, Ont.) sent in an expertly placed cross that Nicholas Machado (Brampton, Ont.) headed in to gain a 2-1 advantage.
Sheridan would pressure on several occasions late, but the Hawks defence held steady. The whistle blew and Humber stormed the field to celebrate.
The OCAA had earned two national berths, so both the Hawks and Bruins will be headed to Holland College (P.E.I.) for the CCAA National Championship.
Of note, Dana Mckiel and Dick Howard had the gold and bronze medal game calls. McKiel's professional credits include 29 years as a play-by-play commentator with Rogers Media, working everything from Canada Basketball home games to OFSAA football while Howard has been a fixture of the Canadian soccer scene. The former goalkeeper made his debut for Canada at the national A level in 1972, and has served on multiple Canada coaching staffs, as well as numerous FIFA Technical Study Groups.
Marie-Soleil Beaudoin was also the head referee of the gold medal game, a FIFA ref who earned her badge in 2014.
See Tournament All-Stars and MVP below:
Championship MVP
Jaineil Hoilett (Humber)
Tournament All-Stars
Cody Green (Humber)
Federico Leal (Humber)
Rahim Thorpe (Sheridan)
Manuel Morgado (Sheridan)
Bradley Heath (Fanshawe)
Jeremy Trefry (Algonquin)