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EDITOR JORDAN COPP |

Humber Hawks player kicks the ball while the Seneca Sting players try to block the shot. juan RAwiREZ PHOTO

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 |

THE VOICE 6

Hawks edge Sting to retain crown

Humber tightens its iron grip on competition with seventh title in 70 editions

= By SETH FORWARD

he Humber Hawks beat
the nine-man Seneca
Sting on Saturday 2-1,
preserving their title as
CCAA men’s soccer national cham-
pions after a dramatic overtime
battle that came down to the wire.

The Hawks, who have swept seven
of the last 10 national champion-
ship titles, capitalized on a two-man
advantage, after two Seneca players
were ejected from the match.

Humber midfielder Federico Leal
shattered Seneca hearts in the 105th
minute, scoring the game-winning
goal from close-range.

The Hawks were relentless in their
search for victory. “We did what we
needed to do, and we got the win,”
said Hawks coach Michael Aquino.

Aquino, a five-time winner of the
CCAA finals, said winning champi-
onships “never gets old.”

It took just 10 minutes for the all-
Ontario contest to become conten-
tious.

A collision between Sting forward
Alex Lewis and Humber keeper
Holger Xhameta ended with Lewis
getting sent off, putting Seneca
down to 10 men.

The Sting bench was enraged,
with head coach Patrice Gheisar
earning a yellow card for letting the
fourth official know how he felt.
A whopping 15 cards were shown
throughout the combative final.

The red card drastically changed
the game, forcing Seneca to drop
deep and soak up pressure, barely

Humber Hawks players celebrate their gold medal win against the Seneca Sting. Juan RAM REZ PHOTO

getting the ball out of their own half.

In the 54th minute, Sting
defender Steven Janjicek latched
onto a loose ball, driving it past a
helpless Xhameta to give Seneca a
surprise 1-0 lead.

In another controversial call, Fran-
cisco Thomas-Cerros from the Sting
was sent off in the 70th minute after
getting a second yellow card for
simulation. Gheisar said the second
red card “broke our back.”

After their second red card, the
Sting were holding on by a thread,
essentially playing with eight
defenders and a keeper.

“We did all we could,” said Ghei-
sar, while Sting defender Aaron
Toniolo said playing down two play-
ers was “always going to be hard.”

The Hawks were finally able
to break down the resolute Sting
defense, equalizing in dramatic fash-
ion with one minute left in regular

time. A silky Hawks passing move
forced Taniolo to deflect a teasing
cross into his own net. Toniolo, who
was nursing injuries on both his
ankles, was visibly distraught after
the goal.

A goal at the end of the first
half of extra time put the Hawks
in dreamland. Hawks midfielder
Luca Uccello put in a driven cross
which was saved by Anthony Guir-
rieri from the Sting, only for Leal

to pounce onto the loose ball and
smash it into an empty net.

Toniolo, irritated with the calls
throughout the match, skirted
reporter post-match questions about
the refereeing: “I don’t know if you
want me to answer that.”

Humber coach Michael Aquino
sympathized with Seneca’s red card
woes: “I’ve been on that end, too.”

Though Toniolo was disappointed
with the loss, he was proud of the
team.

“Silver's better than nothing,” he
said.

In a team full of experienced play-
ers, it was rookie defender Danny
Medeiros who won player of the
game for the Hawks.

“I was crying,” said an ecstatic
Medeiros. “Feels amazing. Hope-
fully I can do it again.”

CCAA SOCCER AWARDS
2022

» Championship MVP

Anthony Gurrieri, Seneca Sting

» Player of the Year

Luca Uccello, Humber Hawks

»Exemplary Leadership
Blake Charlesworth, Langara Falcons

» Coach of the Year
Stuart Mackie, Conestoga Condors

SOURCE:WWW.CCAA.CA