Women's Soccer extends win streak with win over No. 15 St. Clair

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

VAUGHAN - Humber women's soccer (2-4, 8th West) blanked No. 15 St. Clair (5-2, 2nd West) in a Sunday afternoon upset at Ontario Soccer Centre, 2-0. Cassy Ettore and Hayley Lewis were Humber's goal scorers in that order. Keeper Angela Volpe made six saves for the clean sheet. 

Match Recap

Humber was the underdog facing the top team in the West coming into Sunday's match. The Hawks started well, controlling play and keeping the ball in St. Clair's end. Humber wouldn't manage a high-danger chance, but they were showing that they weren't going to down easy. 

St. Clair had the first real chance of the game in the 14th minute. A great pass left a Saints forward alone with Humber keeper Angela Volpe. Volpe stoned the attempt with a point-blank diving save. The chance bolstered St. Clair, and they turned up the pressure shortly after. 

St. Clair would get another good chance in the 20^th minute but missed the chance high, soaring over the crossbar. Humber was doing an excellent job defensively to protect its box but it resulted in little to no offense for the Hawks. 

In the 42nd minute, Humber was given a shot. A free kick was well outside the box but within striking distance. Hayley Lewis would line up for the Hawks and lace an incredible strike over the defensive wall, the keeper, and into the back of the net. Now leading 1-0 in the dwindling minutes of the half, Humber would keep the pressure up, taking their 1-0 lead into halftime. 

Back from the break both teams were noticeably more motivated. St. Clair felt as though they deserved to be leading and Humber was committed to extending theirs. Humber did an effective job at keeping possession but after five minutes or so St. Clair started to grow momentum. They got two quick chances from sharp angles and they were consistently getting past Humber's defensive line. 

Both teams played back and forth for the majority of the half. Humber had good chances courtesy of Kaitlynn Russel and Kaylese Callender, but they were unable to increase their lead. Humber earned another chance deep in the second half, a penalty kick in the 80^th minute. 

Cassy Ettore would get the nod for Humber and she would make no mistake, converting on the chance to give Humber a 2-0 lead late in the game. The shot would deflect off the keeper before slowly rolling over the line in a dramatic fashion. 

That would be the last goal scored in this one. There would be almost 10 minutes of stoppage time in which St. Clair had heavy pressure but the Hawks would outlast the Saints to improve to 2-4 on the season. 

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks have win their second consecutive game after breaking the longest losing streak in program history.
• This was Angela Volpe's first career clean sheet. She made six saves in the victory. 
• Humber improves to 22-2-2 all-time against the Saints.

What's Next?

Humber will travel to Ancaster to take on Redeemer (5-1, 1^st West) to take on another powerhouse. The game will be played on October 2^nd, kickoff is scheduled for 7:00PM.