A trio of Niagara Knights men's soccer players were named OCAA All-Stars on Wednesday night at the annual awards banquet prior to the start of the 2018 OCAA Men's Soccer Championships, hosted by George Brown College in Toronto.
The CCAA Number 12 ranked Knights saw Jordi Amores (St. Catharines), Quinton Leone (Niagara Falls), and Oti Frigole (St. Catharines) named All-Stars for their respective performances during the 2018 season.
In his fifth year with the Knights, this marks Amores fourth time being selected as an OCAA all-star. The diminutive midfielder has the ability to control the game on both sides of the ball. His spectacular footwork consistenly evades defenders, creating countless opportunities for his forwards. A tireless worker on the defensive side of the ball, the Holy Cross graduate consistently disrupted the opposition's attack through the midfield. A calming presence on the field, the team captain steers the ship with his quiet, hard working demeaner that saw him play a full 90 minutes and almost every match this season. Amores previous all-star selections came in 2013, 2014, and 2017.
Fourth year defender Quinton Leone earns his first all-star selection for the Knights. Leone, an AN Myer graduate, established himself this year as one of the premier defenders in the OCAA. With former OCAA Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Currie graduated and teammate David Fimiak (St. Catharines) down with an injury through the majority of this season, Leone stepped up in a big way on the Knights back end. His tenacious play foiled the opposition's forwards game-in and game-out was a key factor in setting a program record with four clean sheets throughout the season.
Oti Frigole earns an OCAA all-star nod in his rookie year, having made an impact from the moment he stepped onto the field. Frigole opened the season with a pair of goals in his first collegiate game, and did not stop as the season progressed. With 11 goals to his credit in the regular season, the Governor Simcoe graduate became the Knights single season goal scoring leader, surpassing the previous record of 8. Frigole also added a goal in the Knights 2-1 victory over the Seneca Sting in the OCAA Crossover game to secure their berth in this year's championship.
The Knights are set to make their fourth straight OCAA Championship apperance. Niagara will open the tournament with a rematch of last year's bronze medal game against the Humber Hawks. Kickoff is set for 9am on Thursday at Esther Shiner Stadium. The winner will advance to Friday's semi-final against either Fanshawe or UTM, while the losing team will be sent to the consolation round. All games can be watched live at sportscanada.tv/georgebrown.
