Posted: Nov 11, 2022

Men's Soccer heading to finals to defend its national title

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

LANGLEY, B.C. – No. 1 Humber men's soccer advanced to the CCAA gold medal match after defeating No. 2 Langara Falcons Thursday evening, 3-1. The semifinal matchup was neck and neck until Federico Leal opened the scoring, which sparked the Hawks to jump out to a commanding lead and never looked back. Humber will now have a chance to claim their CCAA-best ninth national championship in program history and defend their title from a year ago.

Match Recap

With a spot in the CCAA gold medal game on the line, the top two collegiate teams in Canadian soccer were ready to battle at Willoughby Field in Langley, B.C. The top-ranked Humber Hawks were crowned OCAA champions in late October as they have dominated every opponent they have faced in 2022. Meanwhile, the second-ranked Langara Falcons were looking to bounce back as hosts at nationals after losing to Vancouver Island University in the PACWEST finals.

The Hawks knew they needed a better start than they did in their quarter-final matchup against Les Rouges des Saint-Boniface. The inexperienced team from Winnipeg gave the Hawks a scare in the first half, as Les Rouges were the first team to take a lead over Humber all season. With this in mind, the explosive Hawks showed their determination as the game kicked off under the bright floodlights of Langara's home pitch.

The first half produced a back-and-forth clash as both squads looked to bury the match's first goal. Holger Xhameta had to shut the door on a couple of offensive chances from the Falcons to keep the game in a scoreless draw.

The match was even until the 30th minute produced a free-kick opportunity for Humber just outside the 18-yard box. Two-time CCAA National Champion, Federico Leal, was given the nod to take the shot. The Ottawa native launched a perfectly placed missile that found the meshing behind Langara's keeper. Leal's tally not only gave Humber a 1-0 lead but was also a goal-of-the-year candidate due to the precision of the shot.

The Hawks double-downed and extended their lead to two, minutes after Leal's free-kick marker. In the 32nd minute, Humber managed to get the ball deep into the Falcons' territory, and the captain, Luca Uccello, made an excellent cross to find the head of Damion Kaye. The third-year forward from Mississauga made no mistake in potting the Hawks' second tally of the game. The stunned Falcons' defence knew the match was slipping away as they watched Kaye celebrate his fourth goal of the tournament.

The first half concluded with the Hawks ahead by a pair, while the frustrated Falcons could not seem to get anything going on their home pitch. While Humber was confident in their lead, the defending national champions knew there was still much work to do if they wanted to make back-to-back appearances in the CCAA gold medal match.

The Hawks' momentum continued into the second half as a Luca Uccello goal in the 50^th minute put his team ahead by three. Humber put immense pressure on the Falcons' defensive core, and Uccello capitalized as the ball rolled over to him as he was wide-open at the top of the box, striking a banger passed the diving Langara keeper.

Langara got on the board with a penalty shot marker 12 minutes after Uccello's tally. The Falcons hustled hard to get back into the game, but they were no match for the top-ranked defence in the country. The Hawks didn't allow Langara any more dangerous opportunities, and the game ended in a 3-1 Humber victory.

Hawks' goalkeeper Holger Xhameta was a brick wall for his squad as he recorded his second win of the CCAA tournament and fifth win of the postseason.

Humber Highlights

The Hawks will return to the CCAA gold medal match for the seventh time in ten seasons and the tenth time in program history.
Humber's record against Langara improves to 3-0, while their record against PACWEST teams is now 10-3.
Damion Kaye's four tallies ties Hall of Famer Adolfo Mella for the second-most goals in a single tournament.
The Hawks have improved to 6-3 all-time against the host team.
Holger Xhameta is one win away from tying Humber legends Eugenio Garro and Karman Singh with six career victories at the big dance.
Humber's victory over Langara marks its tenth win in the CCAA semifinals.

What's Next?

The Hawks will battle the Seneca Sting for the CCAA gold medal on Nov. 12. The rematch of the OCAA gold medal game will kick off at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET at Willoughby Field.