Women’s Soccer blanks No. 10 Niagara to advance to OCAA Final Four
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humber (5-2-0, 5-2-0) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
Niagara (6-1-0, 6-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WELLAND – The Humber women's soccer team (6-2-0) went on the road Saturday afternoon and defeated the No. 10 Niagara Knights (6-1-0) at Youngs Sportsplex, 3-0.
In a win-or-go-home quarter-final match, the Hawks put together their most complete 90 minutes of soccer this season. Rookie Cara Serapiglia gave Humber the early lead, recording her sixth tally of the season in the eighth minute.
The undefeated Knights – who hadn't trailed all season – were not deterred by the early goal and outshot the Hawks in the first half, 6-4. Senior keeper Vanessa Fiore was up to the task, making three saves to keep Niagara off of the board.
Less than 10 minutes after the break, the Hawks put the finishing touches on the match. Scoring phenom Kaitlynn Russell buried her first postseason tally in the 55th minute, and three minutes later Serapiglia banged home a brilliant header for her second goal of the match.
The story of the match was Humber's dominant backline, keeping the league's top-scoring duo off of the stat sheet. Niagara's Sydney Sica and Terin Hultink, who combined to score 18 goals this season, were no match for Remi Pelletier and Dominika Philip. The defensive pair held Niagara to a season-low 11 shots while shutting out the Niagara duo for the first time this season.
Humber Highlights
- Humber earns its first postseason victory over Niagara, improving to 11-2-0 all-time against the Knights.
- Under head coach Mauro Ongaro, the Hawks are 21-1 all-time in the quarter-final round and 7-3 all-time on the road against the host team.
- Vanessa Fiore extends her program record by picking up her ninth career OCAA clean sheet.
- It was Humber's first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
What's Next?
Humber women's soccer will head to the OCAA Final Four tournament on October 29, hosted by Fanshawe. The Hawks will open the championship with a semifinal matchup against the two-time defending champion Falcons (6-0-1). Kick-off is set for 2 p.m.
