No. 11 Women's Soccer heading to third straight OCAA title match

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

NORTH YORK – After having the worst start to the season in the program's history, No. 11 Humber women's soccer (7-5-1) has found its form. It is advancing to the OCAA gold-medal match after downing the No. 6 Redeemer Royals (9-2-2) on Friday at the Newnham Field. Fourth-year player Katilynn Rusell provided a crucial assist on Chantel Spalla's header, which secured the game-winning goal for the Hawks.

Match Recap

Going against the odds, the Hawks reached the OCAA semifinals after defeating the second-seeded Centennial Colts in the quarterfinals. Once again, Humber entered the match as the underdog. The Redeemer Royals, who led the West conference during the regular season, were poised to be the Hawks' toughest challenge of the year.

The match began with both teams playing very cautious soccer. In this must-win game, neither side was willing to take significant risks, concentrating much of the play in the midfield for most of the first 15 minutes.

The first dangerous chance of the game came from Humber at 16 minutes when fourth-year player Cassy Ettore received the ball in the midfield and smashed a powerful shot from 20 yards, rattling the crossbar.

At the 31-minute mark, Kaitlynn Russel crossed into the box from a corner kick, finding Chantel Spalla soaring above Redeemer's defenders to head the ball into the back of the net, marking her second consecutive match with a tally. Humber controlled the remaining 14 minutes, heading into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Off to the 45 minutes left, the fans at Newnham Field saw a very similar match early in the second half. Despite trailing on the scoreboard, the Royals struggled to create offensive opportunities, barely threatening Angela Volpe's net.

The Hawks came within inches of extending their lead at the 63-minute mark. Emily Robitaille sent a free kick from 20 yards to the far post, where Rosie Nichols hit a header that beat the keeper but struck the left post.

The Royals went all-in during the last 10 minutes, but Humber's strong defence and solid central midfielders formed an impenetrable wall that Redeemer could not overcome. As the referee blew the final whistle, the Royals recorded only their second loss of the season, Humber secured a 2-1 victory and earned their spot in the OCAA Women's Soccer Championship final.

Humber Highlights

• The Hawks improve to 27-2-7 all-time against Redeemer.
• Humber is back to the OCAA final for the third consecutive season.
• The Hawks improve to 16-6 all-time in the semifinal bound.
• This was Chantel Spalla's fifth career tally in the OCAA postseason.
• Humber now holds a 3-1-1 record against nationally ranked teams this season.

What's Next?

No. 11 Humber is headed to its third consecutive OCAA final, where it will take on the nation's top-ranked team, the Seneca Sting (12-0-1) tomorrow, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. The match will take place at Newnham Field in North York, and it will be streamed live on OCAA Live.