Niagara College sports report Sept. 30: Soccer
The Niagara College Knights women’s soccer team fell out of first place in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association West Division following a 4-1 loss to the Redeemer Royals.
Sara Walsh netted the lone goal for the Knights, who now sit in third place with a record of 4-2-1.
“We went into the game with a few players banged up and a few unable to play. We’re looking forward to a week’s rest,” Niagara head coach Rob Lalama said.
Next up for the Knights is a Thursday road game versus the Conestoga Cougars.
Women’s soccer player Mia DiPasquale, a fourth-year captain, continues to assert her dominance in the backfield and was named Niagara College’s Female Athlete of the week.
“Mia has performed consistently well throughout the season while also leading the team on and off the field,” a Niagara College press release said.
MEN’S SOCCER
Niagara’s men’s soccer team fell to 2-4-1 on the season and into sixth place in the OCAA West Division following a 2-0 loss to the Redeemer Royals.
“When we pressured them, good things happened. We just didn’t maintain pressure long enough to generate a string of positive moments. Redeemer is not always the best team we play, but they are the hardest-working side. Our work rate was higher than usual but our guys saw it still wasn’t enough,” Niagara head coach Frank DeChellis said. “We need to be tougher and smarter on dead balls. Those are critical moments in the game and we gave up their first goal on a free kick. We have eight days till our next game which is a welcome break after seven games in 19 days. Some of our guys need time to heal.”
Team captain Noah Vogel felt the Knights had a lot of bright spots but they are still dealing with the same issues that make them unsuccessful.
“The second part of the first half we turned our game up to a different level and began to take it to them. We were just lacking final third quality. The team was playing together and was creating havoc for Redeemer in that 20-minute span,” Vogel said. “Unfortunately, that didn’t continue to the second half and Redeemer took advantage of two mental lapses that caused their two goals. This loss certainly hurts but will only help us be better in the long run as we reach the final stretch of our season.”
Men’s soccer player Gerrit Oldejans was named Niagara College’s Male Athlete of the Week.
“The first-year Knight has been stellar for the Knights’ attack this season providing constant pressure to opposing defences while continuously playing 90-minute games,” a Niagara College press release said.
Niagara is Conestoga Thursday.
