A new school year means a new season of OCAA soccer. On Saturday, September 12, the men's and women's varsity programs will begin their 2015 OCAA season when they host the Humber Hawks during "O-Week". During the season opener, shuttles will be running from Welland Campus to Youngs SportsPlex, free of charge to all students who want to attend the game. Shuttles begin at 1:45p.m for the women's game and then again at 3:45p.m for the men's game. SAC will be running bubble soccer throughout the day while Athletics and Recreation will be handing out free swag as well.
2015 Varsity Soccer Preview
Men's Soccer
2014 Record: 5 – 3 – 0
2014 Finish: 4th OCAA West
2014 Playoff Record: 1 – 1
Head Coach: Frank DeChellis
Andy Hein (Omemee) and Keith Makubuya (St. Catharines) lead a strong group of returning student-athletes, along with goalkeepers Jordan Provenzano (Niagara Falls) and Sam Robson (Milton). Provenzano recorded the Knights first ever clean sheet in a playoff match last season when Niagara defeated Redeemer in penalty kicks. Hein and Makubuya recorded three goals each last season and will be looking to improve on those totals this year. "Andy [Hein] is a bigger workhorse than last season," said fourth-year head coach Frank DeChellis. "He will probably run to the games, play, and then run home. And I am talking about our away games."
New to the program this season is Welland native Alex "Shaggy" Latham, a forward who just finished two years of competitive men's soccer. "Shaggy has already adapted to the speed of play required," stated coach DeChellis. "He is a player who was known to us for some time and we are excited to have him aboard."
On defence, the Knights have added centre backs Quinton Leone (Niagara Falls) and Charlie Does (Ingersol). Leone recently moved up to the first team for Niagara United in the Canadian Soccer League and Does plays premiere men's soccer for Woodstock. "Charlie and Quinton are excellent additions to aid [returnee Mike] Serianni in the central back position," coach DeChellis said. "They are mature beyond their years and will learn plenty from our vets."
Last season the Knights had their most impressive season in the OCAA, winning a school best five games and scoring four more goals than their previous best. This season, the Knights will be looking to improve even more however; their first game on the pitch may be their most difficult.
The Knights will host the Humber Hawks, a program that went 6-0-2 last season and defeated Niagara 6-1. In their ten regular season matchups, Niagara is 1-9 against the Hawks. In two seasons however, the Knights are 6-1-1 at Youngs SportsPlex and defeated Humber 1-0 when they last hosted the Hawks in 2013.
Women's Soccer
2014 Record: 1 – 7 – 0
2014 Finish: 8th OCAA West
Head Coach: Frank DeChellis
The women's soccer program heads into the 2015 OCAA with 17 student-athletes with at least one year of soccer experience at the varsity level and will be looking to capitalize on that experience and improve on last season's results. "Our team has experience and something to prove after a season where our results did not match our performance," said fifth-year head coach Frank DeChellis.
The Knights welcome four veteran student-athletes to the program, all of whom have playing experience at the University level. Jenna Vasiliaskis (Burlington), Alex Pasco (Niagara Falls), and Natalie Semenuk (Pelham) come to Niagara after playing for Brock University in the OUA, while Marissa Caldaroni (Niagara Falls) played at West Virginia Wesleyan. "The maturity of these four student-athletes is going to be very beneficial for our first-year players," said coach DeChellis.
Leonie Lefevre from Alencon, France has also joined the team for 2015. "Leonie knows the game and her touch is fantastic, coach DeChellis explained. "The players appreciate what she brings to the table."
Fifth-year player and team captain Olivia Page (Welland) will be joined with key returnees like Emily Babcock (Caledon), Rebecca Morrison (Erin), and Julia Pantusa (Niagara Falls). "I am looking for bigger output from these players this season," said coach DeChellis. "They all have their unique style of play but work particularly well together."
The women's program will begin their season by hosting the Humber Hawks, a program that finished 7-0-1 last season. The Knights are 0-7 against the Hawks all-time and will be looking to end that streak on Saturday.
