When the Niagara Knights men's soccer program kicked off the regular season they had a goal in mind. That goal was to take the next step and have an impact at the 2016 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship. Mission accomplished.
The Knights closed out their season with a 4-3 penalty kick loss to the division rival George Brown Huskies over the weekend in the OCAA Bronze Medal match. Despite the loss, the Knights finished in fourth place, marking the best finish in program history. After falling to the Algonquin Thunder in the Semi-Final on Friday, it was a tough rebound for the Knights who still has the opportunity to play for a medal for the first time ever.
After falling behind 1-0 in the opening minutes of the match, Niagara would score the next two to grab a 2-1 lead. Alex Latham (Welland) scored the equalizer in the 12th minute, while Shaquille Gordon (Brampton) followed up to give the Knights a 2-1 lead. However, the momentum would shift again. George Brown tallied twice more, once again reclaiming a 3-2 lead. Fighting to hang on, the Knights would respond once again, with Jordi Amores (Niagara Falls) scoring to force an extra 30 minuntes.
If the spectators felt they got their monies worth in the first 90 minutes, the extra time was where the real drama would lie. Two Niagara Knights players were given their second yellow cards of the game, and subsequent red cards, within the first eight minutes of extra time. With 22 minutes of extra time to go, the KNights would buckle down and deny each and every George Brown scoring opportunity and eventually forcing penalty kicks.
"Going down two men in extra time was as shocking as anything I've ever experienced as a coach," said Knights Head Coach Frank DeChellis. "The way our guys executed our defensive shell to get us to penalty kicks was incredible."
The Knights fell behind 2-0 early in the penalty kicks before Sam Robson (Milton) made three consecutive saves, forcing a do or die attempt for the Knights. It was not to be for the Knights as the George Brown keeper would make a save on the final attempt, clinching the OCAA Bronze Medal for the Huskies.
Despite a bitter end to the season DeChellis was proud, yet stunned, over the loss. "I am heartbroken for our players," said DeChellis. "They put everything they had into that match. Playing the last 22 minutes of extra time down two men was a sight to behold."
The coach had some parting words for the season. "We told the players tha tthis game is a cruel pleasure." DeChellis added. "It lifts you up and makes you smile only to knock you back down, and we come back for another day to start it all over again."
