Calgary, AB – The St. Thomas University Tommies had their historical 2021-22 season come to an end in the CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship bronze medal semi-final with a 7-3 loss to the NAIT Ooks.
It was the Tommies who nearly opened the scoring in the 13th minute when ACAA Player of the Year, Brett Springer sent a cross into the box, finding an unmarked Ben Davidge, who sailed the header just over the bar.
The two teams would battle back and forth until the 31st minute, when a nice cross for NAIT would find an unmarked man, and he slipped it past Tommies' keeper Luke Ewen, to make it a 1-0 game.
It wasn't three minutes after the Ooks scored that Springer would even things up when he was fed a nice through ball from Gray Cyr, took one touch past the keeper and slid the ball into the yawning cage.
"Our midfielders were able to hit a great ball onto our striker and give an opportunity to get in on the attack," said Tommies' assistant coach, Matt Forster.
The Ooks would strike twice quickly in the 38th and 39th minute, once off a scramble in the box on a corner kick and once again on a quick counter to push their lead at halftime to 3-1.
"Giving up two quick goals before the half sort of took the air out of the tires for the boys," added Forster.
The Ooks would score another pair of quick goals in the 53rd and 55th minute, once more on a scramble following a corner and then on a quick counter where Ewen found himself one on one with the Ooks striker.
Springer would once again put his stamp on the match when he would burst past the Ooks' backline to bring the Tommies within three. NAIT would score another pair of goals before they ended the match.
Rookie David Armstrong would sub into the game midway through the second half and would cap the scoring for the Tommies when he sent a brilliant ball into the box and Springer would sky to put it in the back of the net, capping the hat trick.
"We started out really well with the game against SAIT, little disappointing with the last two results, but the good thing is that this team is young and this tournament gave us the opportunity to play some of the top talent in the country and prove that we belong here," concluded Forster. "The end result will give us motivation in the offseason and coming into next season."
Recap: STU Athletics