The Humber Hawks men’s indoor soccer team is prepared for its OCAA provincial tournament on Thursday and Friday.
They’re coming from a very successful regionals tournament last week where they finished with three wins and one draw. And the team started the championship round on the right track, beating the St. Clair Saints 4-1 on March 7.
Head coach Michael Aquino said he was pleased with the way his team was able to keep possession and their ability to create chances throughout the tournament.
“I think we played very well in each game,” Aquino said. “The team looks ready.”
For the past two years, the Fanshawe Falcons been crowned OCAA indoor soccer champions. Humber’s last opponent at the regionals was none other than Fanshawe, but despite going back-to-back, Humber defeated Fanshawe 4-2.
Co-captain Matthew Laic said he was ecstatic about the victory.
“We destroyed them, so I’m feeling pretty confident going into provincials now,” he said.
This indoor tournament isn’t played the same way as the outdoor season.
The outdoor season is played 11 versus 11 on a full-sized pitch. However, indoor soccer has seven players versus seven on a much smaller field, which changes the way teams approach the game.
“Attacking and defensive transition is most important,” Laic said.
Players have to be careful not to get caught up on the field trying to cheat offensively. This is because playing on such a small surface can allow the opposition to attack quickly while the team is out of position.
Humber held tryouts in January searching for players to fill in open spots on the team.
Between the end of the outdoor and the beginning of the indoor seasons, some players moved on from the team either by graduating or for other reasons.
Some new players are trying to fit into the system.
“Our rosters are a little different which gives us a chance to bring in some different faces,” Aquino said.
Laic is very appreciative of the work the new players have been putting in. He also admitted he’s never worried about the type of players Humber brings in from tryouts because they always turn out to be “quality.”
He said they appeared a little nervous in their first couple of games in regionals.
“Everyone makes mistakes and even when they make a mistake, they grind to get the ball back and make up for it,” Laic said.
The outdoor season didn’t end the way Humber wanted, losing in the final to the Conestoga Condors 3-0. This is still something that the players think of constantly.
Humber once again faces the Condors in a final, this time in the upcoming provincial indoor tournament.
Since Humber and Conestoga are held in separate pools for the group matches, if everything plays out accordingly, the two could meet in the final on Friday.
“I want nothing more than to face Conestoga in the final and beat them,” Laic said. “I want it really bad.”