Lords win first CCAA Men's Soccer crown
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Durham Lords 3, VIU Mariners 2
The Durham Lords won their first-ever CCAA championship gold medal after a five-goal thriller saw them defeat the No. 3 nationally ranked VIU Mariners.
It was a nervy start from both sides but the first chance of the game fell to VIU's Cole Senchar who sent a header just wide of the Lords' net. Joshua Lee then opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he found some space in the box and smashed home his effort, beating Mariners keeper Kevin Picard at his near post. Moments later Ryan Cullen made it 2-0 from close range sending the home crowd into pandemonium.
Following the break, Senchar netted one for the 2017 champions after the ball dropped to him in the box and he tapped home the finish. Durham quickly restored a two-goal lead in the 65th minute when Jose Flores scored his second goal of the tournament, sending a free kick from a difficult angle into the opponent’s net. The Mariners got their second goal in the 81st minute when Michael Heppelle scored during another scramble in front of the Durham net building the anxiety for all those in attendance. However, the Lords stood firm at the back as they clinched the national championship with the 3-2 win.
LeRohne Young was named the 4imprint Player of the Game award for Durham, while Heppelle received the award for VIU.
BRONZE MEDAL MATCH: Ch. Saint-Lambert Cavaliers 1, Douglas Royals 0
The Champlain Cavaliers clinched the national bronze medal after a late winner gave them a 1-0 victory over the Douglas Royals.
It was a tightly-contested game between the sides fighting for bronze, but Douglas were edging possession in the first half against a young Champlain side. Yianni Siafakas nearly closed the half with the first goal of the game but Olivier Rouleau made a nice save to deny him.
Both sides had their chances in the second half with time running out but eventually it was Champlain who took the lead in the 84th minute. The ball dropped to Hugo Defresne at the top of the box, which he buried in the bottom left corner, which led the Cavaliers to the 1-0 victory.
Dufresne went on to win the 4imprint Player of the Game, while Alejandro Varela won the award for Douglas.
5/6 PLACEMENT MATCH: Humber Hawks 5, Red Deer Kings 0
The Humber Hawks picked up a 5-0 win over the Red Deer Kings to claim fifth place in this year’s CCAA Championship
Last year’s champions opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Zachary Zitoli got the ball at the top of the box and placed his shot into the bottom left corner. Zitoli got his second of the game in the 55th minute when he was unmarked at the back post and headed home. His third goal followed not even a minute later as Humber were cruising with 35 minutes to go. Zitoli was on fire and notched his fourth goal of the game in 61st minute with his second header. Zitoli calmly wrapped things up when he slotted home his fifth in the 66th minute to cap the game.
The 4imprint Player of the Game for Humber went to Zitoli, while Matthew Elphick won the award for Red Deer.
7/8 PLACEMENT MATCH: Holland Hurricanes 3, Lethbridge Kodiaks 0
The Holland Hurricanes secured seventh place in the CCAA Championship following a convincing 3-0 win over the Lethbridge Kodiaks.
The first chance of the game fell to Lethbridge when Kenzel Aarts-Roman capitalized on some poor communication at the back from Holland, but saw his effort hit the side of the post.
Holland took the lead just a minute later when Kaito Yamamoto tapped into an empty net from an Alex Lourenso pass. A second goal followed four minutes later when Yamamoto played provider this time, teeing up Tegan Misener for the tap in. Yamamoto continued to impress, getting his second of the game and fifth of the tournament in the 60th minute, placing his shot into the top of the netting to make it 3-0.
The 4imprint Player of the Game award for Holland was given to Yamamoto, while Joel Arrieus picked up the award for Lethbridge.
CCAA ALL-STARS
Joshua Lee, Durham Lords
Shun Takano, VIU Mariners
Jared Leheta, Ch. Saint-Lambert Cavaliers
Taylor Richardson, Douglas Royals
Hugo Defresne, Ch. Saint-Lambert Cavaliers
Nick Payne, Durham Lords
Colin Reilly, Durham Lords
Diego Corlazzoli, VIU Mariners
Ryan Cullen, Durham Lords
Grayson Chalifoux, VIU Mariners
Kevon Grant, Durham Lords
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Joshua Lee, Durham Lords
EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP
Michael Fayehun, Humber Hawks
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