Saturday, September 23rd saw the Niagara College men's soccer program stretch their winning streak to three, as the team defeated the home field Lambton Lions 3-0 in Sarnia. The win moves the Knights to 3-1 on the season and into second place in the OCAA West Division.
The Knights found the scoresheet early in the affair when third year striker Carlos Williams (St. Catharines) converted on penalty kick just five minutes into the contest. The goal is Williams first of the season and 10th career tally, tying him for the Knights' men's soccer all-time scoring record with former standout Matt Miedema.
After the match the humble Williams commented "I'm honoured to be tied for the all-time goal-scoring lead, but this season is more about the team than me. We have goals set, and each day we work towards our ultimate goal – a championship."
The Knights carried a 1-0 lead into halftime, and the team came out strong in the final 45 minutes, putting an exclamation mark on a dominant road performance.
Niagara extended their lead on a brilliant three way passing play at the 62nd minute mark. Connor Diacur (St. Catharines) beat a Lambton defender and drove the ball across the six yard box to Williams - who calmly headed the ball to rookie forward Noah DiEgidio (Welland), who buried the ball into the back of the net for his first career tally.
For the third time in as many games, second year midfielder Marc-Andre Boucher found the scoresheet. In the 80th minute, the Niagara Falls native, put the game on ice by winning a 1v1 battle and converting for his third goal of the season.
"Our fitness program paid big dividends in the sweltering heat today" said Niagara Knights assistant coach Rino Berardi who helmed the sidelines for the team during Saturday's road matchup. "As the game grew longer, we continued to dictate play and created scoring chances."
Veteran fourth year goalkeeper Sam Robson notched his second shutout of the season for the Knights. The Milton native has been dominant all season for the Niagara side, allowing just one goal in four games. Robson was named Niagara College athlete of the week for his performance.
The Knights now sit in second place in the OCAA west division with a record of 3-1. The team will face the Redeemer Royals on the road on September 26th at 6:00pm. The team returns home on September 30th when they host Lambton at 4:00pm at Youngs SportsPlex.
