The ACAA Soccer Championships have come and gone, as the Grant-Harvet Turf Field hosted six games over the weekend - four semi-final matches on Saturday and two ACAA Championship matches on Sunday.
The Holland College Hurricane's Men's team defetaed the St. Thomas University Tommies in penalty kicks, after the two were tied at two after 120 minutes. Holland won the penalty kicks 4-2. On the Women's side, penalty kicks was also needed, with the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics defeating the University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves.
Sunday, Oct. 30
Hurricanes End Tommies' Undefeated Streak, Win ACAA Championship
The Holland College Hurricanes executed off a rare mistake from the St. Thomas University goal keeper Luke Ewen (Milton, ON) - a miscommunication led to a Keisuke Masuda to an open net. The Hurricanes had a 2-1 lead in extra time with Masuda's goal coming in the sixth minute of extra time. Eight minutes later in the 14th minute, Gray Cyr (Ottawa, ON) was given his second yellow card of the match, disqualifying him and putting the Tommies a man short. And for the first time all season, Holland had done what no one else had - they had the Tommies on the ropes.
But there was no quit from the exhausted Tommies. In minute 15 of extra time, it seemed as if the dream season was still alive. A corner kick led to an Elias Stiphout header, tying the match at two. STU had life, as they were able to get through the second half of extra time to force penalty kicks.
It wasn't their first miracle of the game, though. Earlier, in the 82nd minute, Ewen faced the ACAA Player of the Year Mohammed Alhaj Ali one-on-one after Alhaj Ali had broke free for a breakaway. Ewen made a sliding tackle to rob Alhaj Ali of his second goal of the game in what could have been the game winner.
But the save didn't prevent the Hurricanes from celebrating on the Grant-Harvey Turf Field - Ewen was beat 4/5 times compared to the Tommies only going 2/4 in the penalty kicks, as Yannick MacPhee of the Hurricanes netted the final shot. The Hurricanes had ended the Tommies undefeated streak, claiming the ACAA Championship a year after losing to the Tommies in the finals.
It marks their eighth championship since 2011.
Hurricanes head coach Jonathan Vos couldn't have been prouder of his squad.
"It's just amazing," he said. "I'm just so proud of them."
The Hurricanes had gone to extra time in their semi-final match the previous day against the University of King's College Blue Devils as well.
Vos said he didn't have to tell his team much prior to kick off. Holland was locked in.
"When I walked into the locker room, you could just feel the energy and the focus," Vos said. "It was just a few short words to make sure they we were in this together and to battle for each other."
It wasn't just the Tommies that were on the ropes this match. Brett Springer (Bamberg, ON) has struck early to put the Tommies in front. STU had forced a turnover close to the net and fed Springer the ball, as Springer netted the first of the match. The Tommies carried the 1-0 lead into the half.
The Hurricanes didn't get on the board until the 50th minute, as Alhaj Ali had beat Ewen to even things up.
Alhaj Ali and his team pressured the rest of the half, seeing opportunities being stopped. He credited his teammates for being able to battle through and take the win.
"My teammates are unbelievable; I just want to say a big thank you to my teammates and coaches," Alhaj Ali said.
After losing to the Tommies in the finals the previous year in penalty kicks, he said Ewen knew him well, so he aimed for the left instead of his right.
"He got a touch on it but it was a powerful kick."
The ACAA Player of the Year and his Hurricanes will make their way to British Columbia to compete in the CCAA Nationals from Nov. 9-12.
Mystics and Seawolves Need Penalty Kicks to Decide Champion
The crowd went silent, as Ashley Neves of the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics stared down the Keeper of the Year Jillian Smith – penalty kicks would be the deciding factor in this ACAA Championship match, and Neves could end it. As the whistle blew, Neves made no mistake. The Mystics had one another ACAA Championship.
“My teammate told me to go up there with confidence,” Neves said. “That’s what I did and it felt great.”
120 minutes wasn’t enough to find an ACAA Champion. The Mystics and University of New Brunswick Seawolves needed penalty kicks in the ACAA Finals at the Grant-Harvey Turf Field.
The Mystics held most of the possession for the first 20 minutes of the match but couldn’t generate any dangerous scoring chances.
The Seawolves slow start didn’t last long – UNB SJ put on the pressure late in the first half. One of their best chances came in the 42 minute, as the Seawolves attacker made a beautiful crossover before placing the ball in the box. The Seawolves couldn’t get a foot on it, as MSVU cleared.
The second half featured much of the same – a pressuring Seawolves team that couldn’t get one by Mystics goalkeeper Morgan Gillies.
A Seawolves shot sailed a tad over the MSVU net, as Gillies leaped to get a tiny piece of it, the closest the Seawolves would get in the half.
The Mystics would come down the field and get their best chance of the half as well, after a centered ball created a scramble in front of the net, giving the Mystics a great scoring chance – but the Keeper of the Year Jillian Smith kept the game tied, making the save while on her side.
The first half of the extra time was evenly contested, not seeing dangerous opportunities. MSVU pressured late in the second half of extra time. But each goalkeeper was perfect – the Championship match would need penalty kicks to find a Champion.
Gillies said it felt amazing to win the championship after losing in the finals last season.
“It just feels so good to take gold home,” she said.
The Mystics will travel to Quebec for the CCAA Nationals Nov. 9-12.
Saturday, Oct. 29
Mystics Take Down Tommies 3-1 to Advance to ACAA Finals
The Mount Saint Vincent Mystics (1) and the St. Thomas Tommies (4) kicked off the 2022 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Women’s Soccer Championship, with the Mystics taking a 3-1 semi-final win. A quick start for MSVU, scoring twice in the first six minutes, would carry them to victory.
The Mystics struck first in the 4th minute, playing a high ball after a shot on goal and getting it past STU goalkeeper Marissa Archibald (Truro, NS), going off Tommies’ defender Kaleigh Roberts (Moncton, NB) and into the net. It didn’t take long for them to strike again – just over a minute later, Annika Monroe put another one in for the Mystics.
The Tommies managed to keep up the pressure, having four consecutive penalty kicks leading to great scoring chances, none being able to get past Morgan Gillies.
Archibald kept it close for the Tommies, making a diving save in the 16th minute to keep the score 2-0. The Tommies finally struck the back of the net in the 41st minute when Ciera Meredith (Bowmanville, ON), delivered a penalty kick.
The Mystics went into the half with a 2-1 lead.
The second half was evenly matched, without many scoring chances until the 54th minute when an MSVU shot sailed just over the net. The Tommies found their two biggest chances late in the game when goalkeeper Morgan Gillies fumbled the ball in the box. Gillies was able to recover, but STU kept up the pressure, with a shot from a distance from Erin Smal, sailing just left of the top corner in the 85th minute.
The Mystics came up the field and would seal the deal, as Erica Boone put one past Archibald, giving MSVU the 3-1 win, punching their ticket to Sunday’s final.
Mystics Head Coach, Danielle Cyr, said her team came in well prepared.
“We had our gameplan and we knew what we wanted to do,” she said.
Cyr said Boone’s goal lifted the Mystics nerves, as the goal sealed the deal to put them in tomorrow's final. She said Boone has worked hard and deserved the goal.
“It lifted a little bit of the nerves.”
Seawolves Escape in Thrilling Semi-Final Match to Advance to ACAA Finals
The University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves (2) took down the Holland College Hurricanes (3) in the second semi-final match at the Grant-Harvey Turf Field to advance to the ACAA Finals against the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics. The Seawolves won 2-1 in a goal in the dying minutes.
It wasn’t an even second half – the Hurricanes dominated the offensive side of the ball. The Hurricanes hit the post not once, but twice – as the ball hit the bottom of the cross bar in the 60th minute that bounced over the goal line, giving UNB SJ a huge break. But Holland maintained the pressure, firing it off the post not even a minute later.
In the 85th minute, Holland barely missed the net, going just a tad to the right. The Seawolves took advantage, with Joce Splitgerber firing a shot that tipped off the fingers of the diving goalkeeper, Brianna Spencer. Spencer didn’t get enough of the ball, as it slowly trickled past the goal line, giving the Seawolves a 2-1 lead.
Splitgerber said she didn’t want to play overtime and told her teammates that if she got the ball, she’d put it in.
“That’s just the magic,” she said. “It worked.”
The Hurricanes exploded onto the field to start the match with Helena Vos scoring just minutes into the game. But the narrow 1-0 lead didn’t last long – the Seawolves answered right back. Splitgerber scored her first of two in the game and evened the match, as it was a 1-1 tie just six minutes in. The score would hold up the whole half.
Splitgerber's second goal would hold up as the game winning goal.
Tommies Earn Shot to Defend ACAA Title
The St. Thomas University (1) and the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics (4) kicked off for the first semi – finals match on the Men’s side of the ACAA Championships.
The first half was evenly contested, as STU slowly started to apply pressure.Josh Oakes (Kitchener, ON) fired a shot on gal in the 30th minute, meeting the MSVU goalkeeper at the goalline. The Mystics were able to come down the field and get a shot off themselves but were unable to hit the net.
Elias Stiphout was the first to find the back of the net, after a scramble in front. The 45th minute goal would give the Tommies momentum going into the second half.
The Tommies applied the pressure early in the second half, with Brett Springer (Bamberg, ON) breaking away before getting help up by the trailing defender. It woudn’t be Springer’s last chance, as later when the Tommies made a breakaway pass, with Springer rushing down the field to receive the pass, he fired it on net as the MSVU goal keeper Kevin Abraham made the diving stop, keeping his team in the game.
The momentum of the chippy, physical game led to the Mystics getting their best chance of the game – but Tommies goalkeeper Luke Ewen kept his Tommies in front, making a diving stop in the 85th minute.
Ewen said he wasn’t worried at all during the game.
“I have so much trust in this team,” Ewen said. “I never had any doubt.”
The Tommies would punch their ticket to the ACAA Finals in the 89th minute, after Josh Kuehl (Waterloo, ON) forced a penalty kick where he made no mistake on his opportunity.
The Tommies would finish with a 2-0 victory.
”I’m ready – I'm psyched,” Ewen said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Hurricanes Need Extra Time to Punch Ticket to ACAA Finals
90 minutes wasn’t enough for the Holland College Hurricanes (2) and University of King’s College Blue Devils (3) to find a winner – the match would need two extra 15-minute halves, as the Blue Devils searched for a playoff win after qualifying for the first time in four seasons.
But it was the Hurricanes playing spoiler – as Clay Kelly dove for a loose ball in front of the net in the dying minutes of the second extra half, the ball barely grazing the tip of ACAA Keeper of the Year Rylan Logan’s fingertips, as the ball trickled past the goal line. The Hurricanes bench exploded as soon as the ball was in, with Kelly lying on his back, as Mohamed Alhaj Ali looked at his teammate, screaming with excitement. Kelly had scored the biggest goal of his Hurricanes career.
“I saw the ball come in, so I reached out and slid for it,” Kelly said. “My coach was on me all season to do a slide tackle,” he said with a smile.
The first half of the game was a quiet affair. The play went end to end, both teams seeing opportunities.
It wasn’t until the 77th minute where the Blue Devils rifled a shot, hitting the crossbar, just inches away from the first goal of the match. Six minutes later, UKC saw another chance, close enough to have the UKC crowd on their feet celebrating, thinking the ball had crossed the line – the Blue Devils remained in a tie.
The Hurricanes came down the other end, feeding the ball to the ACAA Player of the Year Alhaj Ali, getting one last chance before the end of regulation play.
As the match advanced to extra time scoreless, Kelly’s goal would be the only one, lifting the Hurricanes to a victory.
“It’s huge to get a late winner like that,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot of emotions going through my head.”