Mella and Riviere secure an important away victory to begin 2024 campaign

By: Thiago Neuenschwander
Humber Athletics Communications

WELLAND - Seeking to regain its dominance in men's soccer in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), the Humber Hawks kicked off the 2024 season with an important away victory. Last Friday night (Sept. 6), head coach Michael Aquino's team beat the Niagara Knights in Welland by a score of 2-1, with goals from Franz Mella and Marcus Riviere. The result leaves good prospects for the rest of the season, in which the Hawks are seeking their 16th OCAA title, 10 of which they have won in the last 13 seasons. 

The game started very tight, with both teams fighting for every space in the midfield but failing to reach the opposing goal. Little by little, the Hawks managed to position themselves better on the pitch and began to dominate the action; it didn't take long for them to open the scoring. In the eighth minute, the midfielders moved up the marking and, in a quick exchange of passes, the ball fell to Tomas Joseph on the left, who crossed it to the head of number ten, Franz Mella, who only had to tap it in to open the scoring in Welland.

The tally gave the Hawks more freedom on the field and their dominance became absolute. In the 21st minute, after a beautiful exchange of passes at the edge of the area, the ball fell to Jacob Ball, who shot across goal and almost extended the lead. Eight minutes later, the same forward received a ball facing the goal but just could not finish.

Later, in the 44th minute, Mella, who scored the first goal, made a play on the left side, dribbling past a defender and only failed to score thanks to the intervention of Knights goalkeeper Nolan Freel. It was the last dangerous play of the first half.

After the break, the rain began to fall harder in Welland, and the home team tried to press on to try to equalize. With two corner kicks, they managed to threaten the goal of goalkeeper Sebastian Contreras, who replaced the starter Danial Sanel, who was injured in a play at the beginning of the match. After the initial pressure from the Knights, the Hawks regained control of the game and began to pose more danger to the home team's area. 

The persistence paid off in the 65th minute. In an individual play, defender Luca Pinto took the ball to the left wing and crossed it to Marcus Riviere's head, who just tapped it into the back of the net and extended the lead. The advantage left the Hawks in a great position. Two minutes later, Riviere almost scored the third, but Knights goalkeeper Nolan Freel turned his attempt away.

In the game's final minutes, the Niagara team launched an attack to improve their luck. After so much persistence, in the 85th minute, they scored a goal. In a play from the right, Gerrit Oldejans crossed in the middle of the area and Noah Vogel headed it in to reduce the score. After the goal, the Hawks defended all of the Knights' offensive moves and confirmed the victory away from home.

Humber Highlights

• Freshman Marcus Riviere recorded his first career tally for Humber.
• Humber improves to 18-1 all-time against Niagara.
• For Luca Pinto, it was his third career assist.

What's Next?

Humber will host the Sheridan Bruins (1-0) in the 2024 home opener on September 11 at the Ontario Soccer Centre. The Bruins opened the season with a win over the defending OCAA Champion Conestoga Condors, 1-0, to begin the season.