HAWKS OPEN 2017 SEASON ON THE ROAD SUNDAY AT UTM

ETOBICOKE, ON: The Humber Hawks men's soccer team, defending CCAA National and OCAA Provincial champions, will look to add this same double gold for the fifth time in the last six years. Humber will open on the road this coming Sunday, as they travel to Mississauga for their season opener against the University of Toronto – Mississauga Eagles.

The Match Up
Sunday, September 10/17
3:00 pm
UTM – South Field
Mississauga

Last Season vs UTM

In an unusual blip in the schedule, the two squads played both matches against each other over a nine day stretch. Humber took both games, with the first a solid 4-0 win, followed by a dominating 9-0 home victory. Four different players scored in the first match-up. Returning striker Luca Baldassarre led the Hawks by scoring three times in the second tilt.

UTM is only two seasons into OCAA play, and have yet to win or tie the Hawks, with the year one results being eerily similar. Humber won game one by a score of 4-1, then followed up with a 9-1 shellacking in game two.

Scouting UTM

• The Eagles took a bit of a step backwards last season after a solid first year, falling to last place and out of a play-off position with a 2-7-1 record. They only won two games in their first season of play as well, but squeezed through and played well at the provincial championships
• The big difference was a drop both offensively and defensively. They had a -12 in 2015, but then fell to -20 in 2016
• Eddy Dabire and Augustin Gignac led the squad in scoring, finding the back of the net three times each. Only four other players joined in with markers
• UTM has added new leadership this year, as Rick Titus has taken over the reins of the Eagles program
• The Eagles completed a very promising pre-season, with wins over traditional OCAA powerhouses Sheridan and George Brown

Hawk Notes

• Humber won the Central Division with a perfect 10-0 record and a plus 33 mark, scoring 37 while only giving up 4. They went on to sweep away all comers on their way to OCAA and CCAA titles. Through the play-offs, they only surrendered a single goal in six games
• The Hawks did lose a number of key players in that championship run, but still return a solid core which includes 2015 CCAA All-Canadian Jaineil Hoilett, Luca Baldassarre, Eugenio Garro, Kingsley Boasiako and Daniele Clemente
• Hoilett was second in team scoring last year, potting 8 goals in the 10 contests he played in
• Humber garnered many post-season awards, including head coach Michael Aquino ultimately being named as the winner of the CCAA Coaching Excellence award

Chasing History

Hawk Keeper Eugenio Garro, with four CCAA titles in four years played, is vying to become the first player in CCAA soccer history to complete his eligibility with the maximum five crowns in five years

Home Opener

The Hawks will not play their home opener until Wednesday, September 20, in a rematch with the UTM Eagles. Humber has changed its home venue, and now will play its games at the OSA Centre in Vaughan.  Game time is 6:30 pm. If you are unable to attend the game, you can still tune in to see all of the action on HSN2 – Hawks Sports Network.

http://humberhawks.ca/broadcast/hsn2

Notable Social Media Sites:

Humber Athletics Website:

http://humberhawks.ca/landing/index

Humber Women's Soccer Website:

http://humberhawks.ca/sports/wsoc/index

OCAA Website:

http://ocaa.com/landing/index