Niagara College Oct. 22 sports report
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The Niagara College Knights women’s soccer team saw its Ontario Colleges Athletic Association season come to a halt with a 2-1 playoff loss to the visiting Humber Hawks.
Hannah Truant scored the lone goal for Niagara.
“We were expecting a battle against Humber. It’s tough taking the loss, especially in the 120th minute of extra time,” Niagara head coach Rob Lalama said. “It’s especially hard when you know it brings a very good season to an end.”
In the end of season awards, Niagara midfielder Cienna Toromoreno was named the OCAA Rookie of the Year. The Vaughan native scored three times and added two assists during the season. She was also named to the West Division Second Team All-Star and the West Division All-Rookie Team. Mia DiPasquale from Port Colborne, and Lily Ryder, from St. Thomas, were selected as West Division First Team All-Stars and Sarah Haist from Welland was named a West Division Second Team All-Star.
MEN’S SOCCER
Niagara’s men’s soccer team concluded its season with a playoff-opening 1-0 road loss to the Conestoga Condors.
“It was so frustrating to be on the wrong end of one of the most exciting games this program has ever played in. We could not have asked for more from the players. We stayed organized, focused on the plan and did not panic as time dwindled. As always at this level, you pay for your mistakes and that led to their lone goal,” Niagara head coach Frank DeChellis said. “We had some legitimate chances that their keeper came up big on. This game will keep me awake for several nights. Injuries took their toll this year and it was nice to have David Figueroa back after being out for six games and Adian Astudillo after four games. Both their performances tonight reminded us of their impact that was missing for a month. Having Jacob Lambert back would have been the icing on the cake, but it was not to be. We needed a turnaround year and this was it. Most of our attacking metrics are back to where they should be, our academic success rate was high and player retention was back to pre-COVID levels. With the ball, we were tactically sound and effective, but defending as a team, front to back, still needs a little more maturity and awareness. It improved as the year progressed but we ran out of season to see the finished product. We take the show indoor in the local men’s A league where the guys will face more mature players every week until April.”
Niagara goalie Nolan Freel thought his team played well.
“We battled a hard 90 minutes against a strong Conestoga side. We got unlucky falling short but our chances were there. It was a great season with our guys,” he said. “Truly felt like a brotherhood. I believe this program has a very bright future ahead, especially from the showing tonight.”
Niagara’s Juan Plata was named to the West Division All-Rookie Team.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Janee Harrison had 13 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block to power the Knights women’s basketball squad to a 59-52 victory over the visiting Humber Hawks.
“The first game of the season is always exciting and you don’t know what exactly to expect. We played really well as a team and had some great learning opportunities as well,” said Harrison, who was named Niagara College’s Female Athlete of the Week. “Humber came back in the third quarter and we showed ourselves that we can come back from teams going on runs and still come out on top. We won that game because of our defence and aggressiveness on the boards and by staying together as a team.”
Also contributing to the win for Niagara were: Taryn Mitchell with 11 points, five rebounds and assist and a steal; and, Aisja Strachan with 10 points, eight rebounds and a steal.
“Very proud of the group for their effort, teamwork and resilience. We look forward to continuing our process of getting better each day,” said Niagara head coach Kimbal Mackenzie, who was a winner in his debut.
Niagara is at Conestoga Friday.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Niagara’s men’s basketball team opened its season at home this past Sunday with an 81-62 loss to the Humber Hawks.
“Humber threw the first punch and answered all of our runs that we made. We need to be able to limit second-chance opportunities and shoot the ball at a high level,” Niagara head coach Lequan Hilton said. “Lots of season left and we know what needs to be worked on and improved to be successful moving forward.”
Top performers for Niagara were: Skylar Samuel with 18 points, four rebounds, two steals and a block; Raheem Dennis with 17 points, a rebound, an assist and four steals; and, Riley Bleich with seven points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
Niagara is at Conestoga Friday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Montanna Taylor recorded 22 assists, 11 digs, nine points, two blocks, a service ace and a 75 per cent hitting efficiency to help Niagara’s women’s volleyball team open the season with a 3-0 victory (25-16, 25-12 and 25-13) over the Redeemer Royals.
“I thought the ladies today played a flawless and complete game, starting from the service line and putting constant pressure on Redeemer with strategic attacks,” Niagara head coach Steve Stone said. “Our blocking and defence was really good and allowed us to transition to a good offence and hit efficiently.”
Other top performers were: Sam Cormier with 12 points, four service aces, three blocks, a dig and an assist; and, Abbey Gooder with 10 points, four digs, two blocks and an assist.
Niagara is at Conestoga Wednesday.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Niagara’s men’s volleyball team opened its campaign with a 3-1 triumph (23-25, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-23) versus the Redeemer Royals.
“Always nice to start the season off with a win in our own barn. I thought the boys came out just a little slow at the start, but they cleaned it up and took a good win to start the season against a good opponent in Redeemer,” Stone said.
Leading the way for the Knights were: Wizdom Smith with 16 points and three digs; Mitch Churipuy with nine digs and six points; and, Matthew Perron with 29 assists, three digs, three service aces and three points.
Churipuy was selected as Niagara College’s Male Athlete of the Week. He had a team best passing average of 2.05 and a 30.8 per cent hitting efficiency in the match.
“Mitch provided a stable presence on the court having a spectacular all-around game,” a college press release said.
Niagara is at Conestoga Wednesday.
