CCAA championship contender: Humber Hawks

By Christopher Harcourt

The Humber Hawks dominated the season in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association men’s soccer league and will be one of the teams to watch when they attempt to defend their title at the national championship this month.

The Hawks will be participating in the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Soccer National Championship hosted by Langara College from Nov. 9-12.

Humber Hawks, a historical powerhouse

They have won the OCAA Championship four years in a row and the CCAA Championships six times since 2012.

Head coach Michael Aquino said the goal is to focus on the next team in front of them.

“We’re always focused on the here and now,” said Aquino, whose team went undefeated this season.

They notched a conference record with 56 goals in the regular season, averaging 25.6 shots per game.

Their five goals conceded for the year tied for the best in the league.

Most recently, Humber players were recognized by the OCAA through individual awards.

Midfielder Luca Uccello won OCAA men’s soccer player of the year. Also, three players were recognized as west division first team-all stars.

Damion Kaye, third-year striker for the Hawks, said the team’s ability to apply pressure was key to their dominance.

Teamwork, the ability to press and to quickly win back position, was the reason they scored so many goals.

Despite their past success, Rick Fonseca, soccer coordinator at Humber College, said injuries this season have been a challenge.

Fonseca said their starting back was just recently back from injury. “He’s only played a couple of minutes in the provincial championships,” he said.

Humber will play Université de Saint-Bonniface in its opening match of the CCAA championship on Nov. 9.