Saturday, September 19th saw the Niagara Knights men's soccer program travel to Sheridan to face the defending CCAA national Champion Bruins. Heading into the OCAA central division matchup, the Knights were 0-10 all-time against the perennial men's soccer powerhouse Bruins. The Knights seemed to relish their underdog role, controlling the match from the outset en-route to an impressive 2-0 victory.
The Knights opened the scoring in the scoring in the 18th minute, when former Toronto FC standout Keith Makubuya (St. Catharines) converted on a setup from forwards Andy Hein (Omemee) and Connor Diacur (St. Catharines).
"Keith, Andy, and Connor are all fantastic runners and their scoring sequence covered a lot of field, opening holes in the Bruins defense" said Niagara College men's soccer head coach Frank DeChellis. "Their scoring play was a goal that players love to be a part of."
The Knights sealed the victory in the 85th minute when Ife Lotanna Maduka (Nigeria) scored his first career OCAA goal, burying a hard earned ball generated after challenging the Sheridan keeper during a loose ball scramble.
DeChellis heaped a large portion of his post game praise the defense efforts of rookies Draven Stokes (Milton), Quinton Leone (Niagara Falls), Charlie Does (Ingersoll), and returning veteran Andrew Currie (Woodstock). The four defenders played a key role in helping propel second year goalkeeper Sam Robson (Milton) to a shutout in his first career OCAA start.
The win moves the Knights to 1-1 on the season and into second place in the OCAA Central division. The victory over Sheridan also sees the Knights move to 4th in the OCAA men's soccer provincial rankings. Despite the success, DeChellis was quick to point out that his team needs to continue developing during the short and incredibly competitive OCAA season.
"We have things to work on, but against Sheridan we moved the ball forward a lot more than usual. We have been addressing getting the ball up the field during training and our players know if you are not looking to attack, you are not going to be playing."
The Knights will return to action on Thursday, September 24th when the team hosts the George Brown Huskies at 4:00 pm.
