Humber College won its 16th OCAA men’s indoor soccer title against Conestoga last Friday.
After losing to Conestoga 3-0 in the outdoor final in October, head coach Michael Aquino had only one mission going into the final and that was bringing home the gold.
“Just considering what happened in the fall, the team was ready to play, and they wanted to prove that they could achieve something against this particular team,” Aquino said.
The Hawks managed to go undefeated in the tournament with a record of four wins and one draw.
Attacking midfielder Danny Medeiros won MVP after scoring many key goals in the tournament and being one of the reasons that Humber was able to win the whole thing.
Medeiros is a second-year player and is considered the team’s most valuable asset by players and coaches.
“He’s always very consistent and always a threat,” team captain Ryan Lindsay said. “He’s very good technically and effective. He scored quite a few big goals for us this past tournament.”
This time, Humber dominated in the final against Conestoga, contrary to what happened in the outdoor final.
“I think this tournament we worked a lot better together as a team and more organized working for each other,” Lindsay said. “Overall, I think it was a good performance from the team as a whole.”
Aquino said this was one of their best tournaments in recent times, and he is grateful to have a full lineup.
Humber soccer head coach Michael Aquino giving a team talk during the OCAA men's indoor tournament. Photo credit: Diego Guillen/ Humber Hawks
“For a couple of years now, we’ve been unfortunate with players getting injured and not being able to participate in these tournaments,” Aquino said.
He said not having that has contributed to the disappointments in the last three seasons.
There have been some new faces on the team following successful tryouts. One players is Mathias Lozano.
Lozano played very well and was instrumental to the group as a newcomer to the indoor team and the entire soccer program.
“He contributed a lot for us and played very well, so we’re happy with his performance and glad to have him on the team,” Aquino said.
Humber is known for having very successful sports teams and the soccer team is no exception, being one of the best in Ontario.
“What separates Humber from the rest is not just having great players. Our facilities and coaching staff are incredible and they should be given the credit that they deserve,” Lindsay said.
Aquino has done a great job with the team in the 10 years that he has been in charge and has implemented the right mentality and tactics that keep winning titles.
“Michael’s mentality is just to win. It doesn’t matter how and it doesn’t have to be pretty,” third-year player Santino De Bartolo said. “He implements a good system at the beginning of the year and all the players buy into it.”
There is also a great sense of togetherness between the players, seen through the chemistry they have on the field.
“We have a great bond as a team. A lot of times, like we like to spend time with each other. I think it’s not something that we necessarily try to do, it just happens naturally,” De Bartolo said.
With this title, the Humber soccer team wraps up another victorious season. The players will be returning in August for training camp to prepare for the start of the 2024 outdoor season.