September 6, 2024
WELLAND, ONT: The Niagara College men's soccer team (0-1) welcomed the Humber Hawks (1-0) to their home field at Youngs Sportsplex Friday night, suffering a close 2-1 defeat in a rainy affair.
The Knights' first game of the season did not start the way many of the home fans were hoping for, going down a goal in the 9th minute to the reining OCAA Championship finalists. The visiting Hawks controlled a lot of the possession and shot attempts but the Knights were able to stand firm defensively and go into the half-time break only trailing by one goal.
Throughout the second half of play both sides were pushing hard to get the next goal, combining for 17 shot attempts in the second half alone. The visiting Hawks were able to grab another goal to take a 2-0 lead in the 66th minute, believing to have put the game away. The Knights continued to fight until the end and through a great team build up in the 86th minute, team captain Noah Vogel was able to get his head to a great cross from Gerrit Oldejans to bring the Knights within a goal. In the end the Knights couldn't find the equalizer in the final moments and dropped a closely attested battle.
"We could not have asked for a better stage for a season opener as Niagara College set up a professional game day presentation. The final 2-1 score was disappointing, but our team showed they fear nobody and can compete at this level" Frank DeChellis, the Knights' head coach stated. DeChellis continued to say that "three of our rookies (Nolan Freel, Juan Plata and Matthew Bogusat) gave a full 90 minutes of effort – showing that they belong here and are going to contribute from Day 1. I am looking forward to our next game on Sunday."
The Knights' next home games will be a back-to-back on Saturday, September 15th and Sunday, September 16th, as the Lambton Lions and St. Clair Saints stroll into Youngs Sportsplex. Hope to see all you Knights fans there!
