For the second consecutive season, the Niagara College men's soccer program will compete for the OCAA Championship. The Knights punched their ticket to the 2016 Championship tournament with an impressive 2-1 road victory over the Cambrian Golden Shield (6-3-1), the East Division's second place finisher.
The Saturday, October 22nd matchup saw the visiting Knights storm out of the gates, notching a pair of goals in the opening 21 minutes of the contest. "We have been in very good form lately" said Knights head coach Frank DeChellis. "we really carried that into this game. Players have been stepping in without breaking the momentum and the attitude around the program has been very positive."
Second year striker Alex Latham (Welland), opened the scoring in the 15TH minute. The tally gives Welland Centennial Secondary School alumni two goals in 2016 and four career goals in a Knights uniform. Just six minutes later rookie forward Aaron VanVelzen (St. Catharines) notched his first career goal, scoring off a cross from Latham in the 21st minute. VanVelzen's goal would hold up as the eventual game winner.
"We played very well and got the exact result we were looking for," continued DeChellis. "Our wingers and wide defenders did a fantastic job in getting the ball where it needed to be."
The win sees the Knights advance to the 2016 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship hosted by Redeemer University College from October 27th to 29th. The Knights will face the St. Clair Saints (7-1-2) in the opening round.
"St Clair's coaches and their program are no stranger to us and we will be ready" added DeChellis. "We expect a fast physical team who will come in hard for every ball, I'm excited for Thursday's match."
Kickoff for the Knights quarterfinal matchup is set for 12:00pm on Thursday, October 27th.
