The Hawks’ men’s soccer team is moving on to the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) quarterfinals after defeating the St. Lawrence Surge in the Crossover round on Oct. 15.
The very lopsided 14-0 win marks 11 consecutive wins for Humber, combining the regular season and playoffs.
The Hawks also remain undefeated against St. Lawrence all-time with a record of 3-0, the last match a 3-1 win in 1993.
This is the largest goal margin ever for the Hawks, surpassing their previous record of 13 scored against Mohawk in the playoffs last season, as well as multiple teams in the regular season.
In his first year as head coach, Humber Hall of Famer Jason Mesa has already cemented himself in history.
He is the first coach to finish the regular season with a perfect record in their inaugural season; a feat even fellow 2006 class Hall of Fame coach Germain Sanchez could not achieve.
Mesa said it’s a big accomplishment for him as a coach, but his credit goes towards the players.
“They’ve done a great job in listening to instructions and executing what’s been asked of them,” he said.
The five-time OCAA champion said any players who might be playing their final games for the Hawks will try and achieve as much as they can.
“I know the team is working for them a little bit more. They want to make sure that they’re finishing off [in] the best possible way,” Mesa said.
The goals were spread out among the entire team, with 10 different players scoring at least one goal.
First-year midfielder Michael Crocco was the clear finisher for the team today, converting all four of his shots into goals.
Third-year midfielder Franz Mella had a combined six goals and assists, the most for the Hawks in the game.
He said his performance helped the team significantly, playing well individually and contributing to many of the chances.
Mella also gave Crocco his flowers after his four-goal performance, saying he’s “proud” of him.
“He got his start after a while of not playing due to illness, injuries, but he came back and showed us that he deserves a spot in the eleven.”
Crocco set the tempo for the game, scoring two goals for the Hawks within the first nine minutes of the game.
Humber would score again in the twenty-third minute when second-year forward Marcus Riviere calmly tapped in a pull-back pass from Mella to make it three.
St. Lawrence would make some early substitutions to break the Hawks’ momentum, but it seemed not to matter as the team would find its fourth through fourth-year midfielder Cisco Thomas in the thirty-fifth minute.
The half would end with another goal, scored by Mella, to give the Surge a much-needed break after conceding five in the first half and facing 13 shots.
Starting the second half, it was right back to domination by the Hawks, scoring six goals in just the first nine minutes, which included two from Crocco, one from Mella, and the other three goals from fourth-year players Luca Pinto and Matthew Smith, and rookie Tyler Yasaka.
St. Lawrence decided to substitute goalkeepers after the 11th goal, taking out Luka Obatrov for Rory Patton.
Humber made some subs of their own to rotate the team and give minutes to the less-experienced players, such as second-year forward Cristiano Candelaresi.
Despite being a bench player, Candelaresi has been the Hawks’ top scorer with five since the 3-0 against Fanshawe on Sept. 10.
Although he scored his sixth of the season, the twelfth of the game, Crocco’s four goals now put him as Humber’s top goalscorer with seven.
Candelaresi said he’s just glad to be playing alongside the other players, whether he’s on the bench or the field.
The Hawks closed out the game, with the final two goals coming from first-year defender Allister Johnson and second-year midfielder Tenzin Wosal.
A one-sided victory for the number one nationally ranked team means they remain undefeated in Crossover matches in the OCAA.
The team will now look towards facing the Niagara Knights, who beat the Durham Lords 2-0.
The players did not know who was going to win when their game finished, but they were confident that no matter who it was, they would be the winners.
“They’re both going to lose, so it doesn’t matter really,” Candelaresi said.
Mella had a similar opinion when asked who would give the bigger challenge: “No one, no one, biggest opponent is ourselves. No one’s giving us trouble this year,” he said.
Humber already beat Niagara this season, when they won 3-0 on Sept. 17.
The match between the Hawks and Knights will take place on Oct. 18 at Esther Shiner Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
