OCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER QUARTER-FINALS PREVIEW

TORONTO - Eight women's soccer teams in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) are one win away from earning an invite to the 2012 OCAA Women's Soccer Championship.

Winners of last weekend's qualifying rounds will visit the first or second place teams in the opposite division for the opportunity to advance. All three OCAA medalists from 2011 are still in the hunt for a championship this season.

All four quarter-finals will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The 2012 OCAA Women's Soccer Championship takes place at Algonquin College in Ottawa from Oct. 26-27.

Seneca (7-2-0, 3rd East) at Fanshawe (7-1-0, 2nd West)
Saturday, Oct. 20 - 1 p.m.

A rematch of the 2011 bronze medal game is in the offing as Fanshawe hosts Seneca. The Falcons blanked Seneca 2-0 in their match last year.

After losing its regular season opener, Fanshawe has won seven straight. Last time they played, the Falcons put an end to Humber's 65-game regular season unbeaten streak, earning a quarter-final bye with a 2-1 win.

First-year forward Marisa Oliveira (London) led the Falcons with six goals. Fanshawe has won a medal in each of the last three seasons, including gold in 2009.

Seneca won its qualifier against St. Lawrence-Kingston 2-1. Samantha Macchione (Maple) and Victoria Curci (Richmond Hill) each netted goals for the Sting.

Seneca is well-rounded offensively, with 14 players contributing goals during the regular season, including first-year striker Stephanie Harris' (Bradford) team-high five.

The Sting have reached the OCAA semifinals in each of the past two seasons.

Centennial (4-4-1, 5th East) at Sheridan (7-1-0, 1st West)
Saturday, Oct. 20 - 1 p.m.

The upstart Centennial Colts are this season's Cinderella story. Having not made the post-season since 2004, the Colts are now one win away from reaching the OCAA semifinals.

Centennial was the only lower-seeded team to win in the qualifying round, edging La Cite on the road 1-0. Second-year forward Miriam El-Masri (Scarborough) scored the game-winning goal for the Colts. El-Masri led the Colts with five goals during the regular season.

The Colts now face a Sheridan Bruins team that outscored their opponents 28-3 in eight regular season games en route to an OCAA West title. All but one of their wins was a shutout.

First-year midfielder Kendra Cooper (Brampton) led all Bruins with a half-dozen goals while third-year player Kaitlyn MacLellan (Mississauga) contributed five.

Sheridan has not advanced to the semifinals since 2009.

Humber (8-1-0, 3rd West) at Durham (7-1-0, 2nd East)
Saturday, Oct. 20 - 1 p.m.

Two-time defending OCAA champion Humber will need a road victory over Durham if it is to three-peat in 2012.

The Hawks shut out Mohawk 3-0 in last Sunday's qualifier. Humber is led by fifth-year forward Keyla Moreno (Toronto) and first-year midfielder Jayde Wiklund-Roach (Brampton) who combined for a dozen goals during the regular season.

Durham enters the post-season on a six-game win streak. Second-year midfielder Megan Arsenault (Ajax) averaged a goal per match during the eight-game regular season, while second-year striker Leanne Fomenko (Courtice) contributed six goals.  

Durham has not reached the semifinals since 2009 when the Lords earned silver. Humber has won an OCAA medal in each of its past six seasons.

Conestoga (3-3-3, 4th West) at Algonquin (7-0-1, 1st East)
Saturday, Oct. 20 - 1 p.m.

OCAA East champion and defending silver medalist Algonquin stands alone as the league's only undefeated team. As an added bonus for the Thunder, they now have home field advantage for the remainder of the OCAA playoffs.

Home turf been quite the advantage for the Thunder, having not lost a home game since 2007.

Algonquin tied Sheridan with the fewest points allowed during the regular season. Offensively, fourth-year midfielder Jaymie Baldree (Cornwall) led the Thunder with six goals. The Thunder currently have the OCAA longest unbeaten streak at eight games.

Conestoga advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over St. Clair. The Condors are led offensively by fourth-year forward Sam Sokoloskie (Kitchener) and her team-high four goals.

Conestoga is unbeaten in five of its last six matches.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 30 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

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