Cambrian men, ladies advance to OCAA quarter-finals

Saturday was a statement day about just how far soccer at Cambrian College has come.

While the Golden Shield ladies did as expected, handling the Durham Lords with ease in Sudbury, the Cambrian men went on the road to pull off the playoff upset, edging the Seneca Sting 2-1.

The Cambrian girls did not cut things nearly so close, getting three goals from Tiffany Johnson, two more from TK Rocca and a single from Courtney Ceccarelli in downing Durham 6-0.

Amelia Temelini and Caitlyn Driver shared the shutout as the locals advance to face the Sheridan Bruins next weekend.

"We were happy to get an early lead, keep our offensive production going, and rotate players to earn minutes and avoid injury," said Cambrian coach Giuseppe Politi.

The Cambrian men also used a quick start, getting two early goals from Faruk Yahaya in order to dispose of Seneca, who finished fourth in the OCAA East, one spot ahead of the Golden Shield.

"I was really pleased with how composed the players remained in keeping the lead and earning a well-deserved road win at Seneca — something our men's program has never done before," said Politi.

"I mentioned at the start of the season that this was a team in development, a work in progress, " added Politi. "I'm hoping the team is peaking right now, because we will have to be at our best to compete versus Humber next weekend."

The Humber Hawks, the men's opponents in the OCAA quarter-finals, are reigning provincial champions and two-time defending national champions.