Saints Soccer Begin 2021 Season On New Home Field
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Fanshawe () | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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St. Clair () | 0 | 1 | 1 |
This Friday marks the return of OCAA action at St. Clair College. The Saints Soccer teams will be hitting the field on campus for the first time since 2017 and welcoming fans to the brand new St. Clair College Sports Park. The women's soccer team will kick off at 6 PM against the Fanshawe Falcons, followed by the men's kickoff at 8 PM. Fans should arrive early to complete Covid-19 screening and contact tracing protocol before entering ACUMEN stadium. Admission will be free to both matches.
Due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic the seasons for the soccer teams will look a little different this year. The Saints will play six regular season games in the newly formed West Division. St. Clair will play a home and home against Fanshawe, Lambton and Conestoga. The top three teams in the division will make the playoffs with the first place team securing a first round bye. St. Clair will be hosting the OCAA Men's Final Four as well.
The St. Clair women will be looking to improve on their last season in 2019-20 when they finished with a record of 5-4. Some key new additions to the roster include keeper Athena Dimario Done (Windsor), midfielder Malary Cole (Thunder Bay) and Seirra Mahabir (London). A strength of the team this year for the women will be their returning players as the Saints have 6 players coming back with at least 2 years of experience in the OCAA. Key veterans include forward Cassie Nicholas (5th Year; Windsor) , defenders Ravneet Rana (4th Year; Windsor) and Jaclyn French (4th Year, Windsor) along with midfielder Ally Schooley (4th Year; Tecumseh). The Saints will have their work cut out Friday night against a strong Fanshawe team that finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 8-0-1.
The St. Clair men finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 5-4 while Fanshawe was 8-1. The men's roster looks much different from the 2019-20 season with 15 new players. Some key new additions to the roster include Romario Abraham (Kitchener), Matteo Grahovac (Windsor) and Joao Gabriel Santos Braganca (Brazil) . Abraham is a 6'2 striker who transferred from the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain. Grahovac is a 6'2 midfielder who played at Holy Names and for the FC Nationals. Santos is a 6'0 defender who transferred to St. Clair from North Iowa Area Community College. Key veterans returning include midfielder Massimo Pollard (2nd Year; Windsor) and defenders Evan Mendonca (3rd Year, West Lorne) and Dillon Hayes (3rd Year; Amherstburg)