Niagara College is pleased to announce that it has been selected to host the 2014 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Men's Soccer Championship.
The OCAA approved the Niagara College bid at the 2014 OCAA Annual General Meeting hosted by Boreal College in Sudbury.
The event will take place October 24-25th at Youngs SportsPlex in Welland, and will see the top four men's soccer programs in Ontario vie for the provincial championship and the right to represent Ontario at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship.
"We are excited to be selected to host the 2014 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship, and look forward to welcoming the best in Ontario to the Niagara region," said Niagara College's acting vice-president of student affairs Rick Anderson. "We have a strong tradition of hosting provincial and national-level sporting events, and we are pleased to bring such a high-profile championship to our community."
Niagara College last hosted a major intercollegiate sporting event in March of 2013, when it hosted the CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship. The 2014 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship will mark the first time Niagara College has hosted a provincial level soccer championship.
"We are proud to have the opportunity to host the OCAA Championship this year. Events such as this reflect and represent our high performance intercollegiate model," said Niagara College director of athletics and recreation Matthew Davies. "Every year we strive to give our student-athletes the best experience possible, through our professional coaches, our facilities, and an opportunity to qualify and compete for a provincial championship in front of our home crowd."
Despite serving as event hosts, the Knights will not be guaranteed a spot in the two-day event, and instead must qualify directly.
The Niagara College men's soccer program came up just short in an attempt to qualify for the 2013 Championship, losing in the OCAA quarterfinals to the eventual OCAA silver medalist Algonquin Thunder.
"Our programs strive to compete at the championship level every year," said Niagara College men's soccer head coach Frank DeChellis. "But hosting the OCAA championship puts more pressure on our team to be there. This is the good kind of pressure that coaches love to have placed on their program."
All OCAA Championships are broadcast live via the web at www.ocaatv.com. For more information regarding this event please contact Ray Sarkis, Tournament Chair, at 905 735-2211 ext. 7583 or rsarkis@niagaracollege.ca.
Niagara College's Intercollegiate Athletics Program was formed in 1969 and has won six national championships and 31 provincial championships. More than 120 student athletes compete as members of Niagara College's six varsity sports programs, including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's volleyball. Niagara College athletics also includes the two tournament sports of curling and golf. The Niagara Knights compete in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association West Division.
Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Niagara Falls; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Continuing Education courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit NiagaraCollege.ca.
