CAMBRIAN HOSTS OCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER PROVINCIALS

SUDBURY, Ont. - Cambrian College plays host to the 2017 belairdirect Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Soccer Championship, beginning Thursday.

All three of last year's OCAA medalists return to the big stage, including the two-time defending provincial gold medalist Algonquin Thunder, the runner-up Humber Hawks, and bronze winner Cambrian Golden Shield.

Four OCAA quarter-final matches take place on Thursday, leading to Friday's semi-finals. The semi-final winners advance to Saturday's gold medal match, while the losing teams play for bronze. Losing teams in the quarter-finals compete in a consolation round.

The other five teams advancing to provincials include the Durham Lords, Fanshawe Falcons, Mohawk Mountaineers, St. Clair Saints and Seneca Sting.

The OCAA champion advances to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer National Championship in Halifax, N.S., from Nov. 8-11.

St. Clair (7-2-1, 2nd West) vs. Humber (10-0-0, 1st Central)
Thursday, Oct. 26 - 9 a.m.

The Humber Hawks are one of only two teams to win all their regular season games in 2017, outscoring the opposition 41-3. Humber easily won the Central Division championship.

Humber has not allowed a goal in four October matches. The last line of defence on the Hawks, second-year goaltender Vanessa Fiore (Brampton), has been in net for every minute of the season, and has a minuscule 0.30 GAA.

St. Clair earned its way to provincials with a 6-1 home victory over St. Lawrence-Kingston in the OCAA crossovers. First-year forward Jaclyn French (Windsor) scored two goals in the contest to go with her nine she netted during the regular season.

This is a rematch of last year's quarter-final between the clubs, won by Humber 1-0.

Durham (7-3-2, 3rd East) vs. Fanshawe (7-1-2, 1st West)
Thursday, Oct. 26 - 12 p.m.

Fanshawe won the West Division title, but are winless in its last three matches after winning seven straight to open the 2017 season.

The Falcons have allowed only three goals against all season, with fifth-year goaltender Alison Vlasman (Mount Elgin) receiving all the minutes in net. Fanshawe received a dozen goals from third-year player Sheree Uyl (Blyth) to lead all scorers in the West Division.

Durham advances to provincials due to a 4-0 shut out at home against Sheridan in the crossovers. Four different scorers hit the mark for the Lords, including first-year players Milinda Roblero (Pickering) and Natassha Hassenstein (Oshawa), who combined for 19 goals in a dozen regular season matches.

Mohawk (6-1-3, 3rd West) vs. Algonquin (12-0-0, 1st East)
Thursday, Oct. 26 - 3 p.m.

Two-time reigning champion Algonquin has never three-peated as OCAA champions. Three more wins will make it four gold medals in five seasons.

It's hard to say if Algonquin blanked or shot its way to the East Division championship. The Thunder scored a league-high 62 goals in a dozen games, while allowing just two against. First-year forward Melissa Gilligan (Cornwall) scored 17 of those goals to lead all scorers in the East Division.

Mohawk earned its ticket to the dance thanks to a 2-0 win over Conestoga in the crossovers. Second-year midfielder Laura Stankovic (Stoney Creek) and fifth-year forward Keigan Curran (Niagara Falls) both scored for the Mountaineers.

These teams met in the quarter-finals last season, won by Algonquin 5-0.

Seneca (9-2-1, 2nd East) vs. Cambrian (8-2-0, 2nd Central)
Thursday, Oct. 26 - 6 p.m.

The Cambrian Golden Shield may have received an automatic berth to provincials as host, but don't believe for a minute they are not deserving of this spot.

Cambrian's only losses came against undefeated Humber. The Golden Shield are led by OCAA all-time leading scorer Tiffany Johnson (Val Caron) who scored a league-high 21 goals during the regular season for 83 in her remarkable career.


If Cambrian is a tough out, then so is Seneca. The Sting have made the OCAA podium in three of the past four seasons, and scored 53 goals during the regular season, second behind Algonquin.

Fifth-year forward Francesca Pedulla (Richmond Hill) scored the opening three goals of Seneca's 6-3 victory over Niagara in the OCAA crossovers. It was her third hat trick of the 2017 season. Pedulla scored 14 goals in 11 matches during the regular season to lead the Sting.

Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/championships/wsoc/2017-18/index

Live Webcast: livestream.com/cambriangoldenshield

Championship Schedule
Thursday, October 26
Quarter-Finals
Game #1: St. Clair vs. Humber - 9 a.m.
Game #2: Durham vs. Fanshawe - 12 p.m.
Game #3: Mohawk vs. Algonquin - 3 p.m.
Game #4: Seneca vs. Cambrian - 6 p.m.

Friday, October 27
Consolation Round
Game #5: Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 - 9 a.m.
Game #6: Loser Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4 - 12 p.m.
Semi-Finals
Game #7: Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 - 3 p.m.
Game #8: Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 - 6 p.m.

Saturday, October 28
Consolation Final
Game #9: Winner Game #5 vs. Winner Game #6 - 9 a.m.
Bronze Medal Match
Game #10: Loser Game #7 vs. Loser Game #8 - 12 p.m.
Winning team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of match
Gold Medal Match
Game #11: Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #8 - 3 p.m.
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at conclusion of match

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student-athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 29 members sponsoring 12 varsity sports.

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Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com