BACK-TO-BACK OCAA BRONZE MEDALS FOR STING MEN'S SOCCER

TORONTO – The No. 15 Seneca Sting (9-2-3) has captured their second-straight OCAA bronze medal after defeating the No. 9 Sheridan Bruins (10-2-2) on Saturday afternoon at the Esther Shiner Civic Stadium. This marked Seneca's 10th provincial bronze medal in the program's history. Michael Pellegrini was the name of the match, leading the Sting offensively with a hat trick.

A mix of chilly weather and high tension set the stage as the No. 15 Seneca Sting and the No. 9 Sheridan Bruins arrived at the Esther Shiner Civic Stadium for their clash toward the podium in the 2024 OCAA Men's Soccer championship. On one side, the Sting came in with the four-best offence from the regular season, scoring 34 goals, led by Paiman Sultani, who topped the league with 11 goals and 27 points. Facing this offensive powerhouse was one of the league's best defensive teams, the Sheridan Bruins, who held the second-best defensive record, conceding only eight goals during the regular season.

The Bruins were determined to return to the podium for the first time since 2018, and they quickly opened the scoring only three minutes in. Diego Sheridan passed the ball to Tyrell Barnswell inside the 18-yard box. With his explosive footspeed, Barnswell advanced past a defender and crossed to Zion Peters, who just had to tap it in to score the opening goal of the bronze-medal game.

After conceding the early tally, the Sting found their rhythm, tying the game at the 18-minute mark when Sultani delivered a beautifully curved cross from the left side to the far post, where Pellegrini headed into the back of the net. The Sting kept the energy up and found a counter-attack opportunity four minutes later, with Matthew Smith springing Pellegrini, who dribbled past a defender and successfully beat the keeper to put Seneca ahead on the score.

Both teams played a very physical game after the match's third tally, and the referee blew the halftime whistle with Seneca leading 2-1.

As the second half got underway, the fans in the crowd watched the Bruins dominate the ball possession and create offensive opportunities. However, despite their efforts, Sheridan could not convert these chances, and things became more challenging when Pellegrini drove a penalty kick to the back of the net, recording a hat trick at 60 minutes.

Sheridan continued searching for a tally, but Seneca locked down defensively and secured the 3-1 victory, capturing the 2024 OCAA Men's Soccer Championship bronze medal.

Source: Fernando Bossoes/Humber Hawks