Cleansheet victory for No. 1 Men's Soccer to begin CCAA tournament
By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications
FREDERICTON, N.B. – No. 1 Humber men's soccer opened its 16th appearance in the CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship with a quarter-final victory over the UKC Blue Devils on Wednesday afternoon at the Grant-Harvey Turf Field. The Hawks now advance to the semifinal round against the No. 2 Nait Ooks, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) champions. Three Hawks players made it onto the scoresheet: Luca Pinto opened the scoring, midfield maestro Franz Mella converted a penalty and Jacob Ball sealed the victory just before the final whistle. Peter Sheberstov recorded the clean sheet in his first career CCAA match.
Match Recap
Top-ranked Humber touched down on the East Coast for the CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship with high expectations following a strong provincial season. Despite their good momentum, knowing what to expect from a team they had not encountered before was hard. As wild-card entrants, the UKC Blue Devils were a team with something to prove, fresh off a 1-0 loss to the No. 4 STU Tommies in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) final. The Hawks knew they had to keep an eye on Blue Devils' winger Luke Kotaska, ACAA's second-leading goalscorer with six tallies. With everything on the line, both teams were set for a must-win match.
The top-ranked Humber followed the same script from their provincial season, scoring early, just eight minutes into the match. Midfield maestro Franz Mella found a brilliant line-breaking pass to Jacob Ball inside the 18-yard box. Blue Devils' goalkeeper Liam Collings rushed toward Ball and managed to save the initial shot. However, the ball fell to the feet of CCAA All-Canadian Christian Keshishian, who quickly spotted left-back Luca Pinto making a run down the left flank. Pinto seized the opportunity with a one-touch strike that found the back of the net, putting Humber ahead 1-0.
Following the early tally, the Hawks dictated the match's tempo, dominating possession in the midfield and creating multiple goal opportunities. At 38 minutes, Humber doubled its lead when rookie Marcus Riviere battled for the ball in the penalty area, drawing a penalty. Mella stepped up and calmly sent the keeper to the wrong side, making it a 2-0 game.
After the break, UKC returned with a more intense, physical strategy, determined to find a tally to bring them back into the match. Matias Lescano was steadfast in Humber's territory, shutting down the Blue Devils' attempts and maintaining control of the defence.
The Hawks kept stepping on the gas, generating several clear goal opportunities that could have stretched their lead to four or even five goals. Yet, Collings remained formidable in net, denying Humber and keeping his team within reach. Finally, just before the final whistle at 88 minutes, clutch player Ball broke through, advancing into the penalty area and driving a cross shot to the bottom left corner of the net, sealing the 3-0 victory.
Franz Mella was named the Player of the Match, presented by 4imprint Canada.
Humber Highlights
- This was the first-ever match between Humber and UKC.
- The Hawks maintain a perfect record against teams from the ACAA; 3-0 all-time.
- Humber now holds a 15-1 all-time record in the CCAA quarterfinals.
- Coach Michael Aquino improves to 21-2 all-time at the big dance and 21-0 in open play.
What's Next?
The Hawks will now play the semi-final round against the No. 2 Nait Ooks, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) champions, tomorrow, Nov. 7. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. ET.
