No. 1 Men’s Soccer earn spot in national championship final
CALGARY – The top-ranked Humber men's soccer team advanced to the CCAA national final match after keeper Holger Xhameta saved twice and four Humber shooters scored in a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory in the semifinal round against the Montmorency Nomades.
After squeaking out a 1-0 victory in the opening round, Humber's high-octane offence has been stifled since landing in Alberta. The Hawks battled the opening 45 minutes, controlling possession but were unable to find the back of the net in the first half.
A solid second-half squad all postseason, Humber made some quick adjustments and got on the board immediately. Abdul Babawale scored his first goal at the big dance, giving Humber the lead in the 46th minute, 1-0.
With less than 15 minutes remaining in the match, a poor tackle in the box resulted in the Nomades receiving a penalty kick. Keeper Holger Xhameta guessed correctly but the ball still snuck by and Montmorency tied the match at one.
After time in regulation expired, Xhameta was able to get his revenge, as the match went into a penalty shootout. Needing a save to keep Humber's title hopes alive, Xhameta dove to his right to make the important stop. After Luca Uccello buried Humber's fourth kick, it was up to Xhameta once again to send the Hawks to the final. The Albanian native guessed correctly once more, diving to his left to make the save.
Humber Highlights
- The Hawks improve to 6-5 all-time in penalty shootouts at nationals.
- Luca Gasparotto, Federico Leal, Dante Pavan and Luca Uccello all converted during the shootout for Humber.
- Humber picks up its first win against Montmorency, improving to 10-2 all-time against the RSEQ conference.
- Under head coach Michael Aquino, Humber is 16-2 against the best in the country.
- Humber will be making its ninth CCAA national championship in program history, with an all-time record of 7-1.
What's Next?
Top-ranked Humber will await the winner of the Douglas/St. Thomas semifinal to find out its championship final opponent. The gold medal match is scheduled for 5 pm MT/7 pm ET on November 13.
