No. 3 Men's Soccer blanks St. Clair on the road

By: Thiago Neuenschwander
Humber Athletics Communications

WINDSOR - In a convincing display, the Humber Hawks defeated the Saints 2-0 in Windsor on Saturday afternoon (Sept 21st), securing the top spot in the OCAA West Division. After a tough first half, the team shone in the second half with goals from Luca Pinto and Jacoby Ball, showcasing their offensive power and control of the game. With this victory, the Hawks celebrate their third win in four games and firmly position themselves as favourites, ready to face the Lambton Lions next Saturday.

The match was tightly contested in the first half, with few chances on either side. Better positioned on the field, the Hawks dominated possession but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. Both goalkeepers were mere spectators. The first significant intervention of the match came only in the 37th minute of the first half when Saints midfielder Nicholas Rahie made a good run down the left, getting past two Hawks defenders, only to be denied by a great save from Danial Sanei. The freshman was returning to goal after getting injured in the season opener.

In the last play of the first half, it was the Hawks' turn to threaten. From a corner taken on the right by midfielder Matias Lescano, Saints goalkeeper Nedeljko Malic had to pull off a real miracle to save a header from Carmine Fiore. Despite the lack of excitement in the first half, Michael Aquino's team went into the break with high morale, looking to secure the victory in the second half.

The first big chance to open the scoring came right after the break. Hawks forward Jacoby Ball received the ball in front of goal but was brought down by a defender before he could shoot, leading the referee to award a penalty. Ball stepped up to take the penalty but shot wide, wasting the opportunity. However, the better game displayed by the Hawks didn't take long to generate another chance.

It came in the 64th minute. After a corner taken by sophomore Tomas Joseph, Luca Pinto leapt higher than the entire Saints defence and headed the ball in to open the scoring at Acumen Stadium—a well-deserved goal to confirm the Hawks' superiority throughout the match. With the lead, Michael Aquino's team focused on keeping the ball on the ground and attacking more wisely. In the 68th minute, Jacob Ball almost doubled the score with a shot from outside the box.

The goal that sealed the match soon followed. Jacob Ball, who had missed the penalty in the first half, cut in from the right and struck hard to score his first goal of the season. After the goal, the Hawks managed the clock to secure their third season victory in four games. The team leads the OCAA West Division (3-0-1) and will host the Lambton Lions next Saturday (Sept 27th) at the Ontario Soccer Centre.