Our men's soccer and women's rugby 7s teams competed for an OCAA championship while our basketball teams hit the road for Toronto. Meanwhile our volleyball teams kicked off their home regular season schedule in front of a large crowd during Mavs appreciation night. Read about the week that was.
Men's Soccer (7-1-2 Regular Season 3-1 Playoffs)
After qualifying for the OCAA final 4 a week prior thanks to a 2-1 win over Fanshawe in the ¼ finals, our men's soccer team hit the pitch in Toronto this past weekend at the OCAA Final Four. Their first matchup took place on Friday at 3:00 pm when they took on the Sheridan Bruins. Sheridan had a solid season finishing 2nd in the West with an identical record to the Wolves at 7-1-2. The game was evenly matched through the first 45 minutes and the teams hit the locker rooms at halftime at nil-nil, however that would change early in the 2nd half. OCAA 2nd Team All-Star Karim Tosun got the scoring started for the Wolves in the 51st minute with a header off a Jacob Toste-Gyurik corner kick. Algonquin extended their lead to 2-0 with a Connor David goal assisted by OCAA First Team All-Star Jaeden Mercure in the 73rd minute. The Wolves added to their lead just a few minutes later when Jaeden Mercure scored a beautiful goal to give his team a 3-0 lead. The Wolves looked poised to walk away with an easy win, but Sheridan stormed back to make a game of it, scoring in the 84th and 86th minute. Thankfully that is as close as they would get and Algonquin came away with a 3-2 win. Mercure was named player of the game for his efforts.
With the OCAA holding a wild card spot this year, the win not only secured a spot in the gold medal match, but also punched their ticket to the CCAA National Championship that will be played from November 6th to 10th at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
On Saturday it was a best on best matchup with the Wolves meeting the West number 1 seed Humber Hawks in the gold medal game. The Wolves battled for 90 minutes but unfortunately came up on the wrong side of a 2-0 final score. Despite the loss, we are proud of our team for earning an OCAA silver medal and are excited to watch them compete for a National Championship. This is the men's soccer program's first medal and first trip back to the Nationals since the 2017 season. Gershom Dupuy earned player of the game honours for the Wolves while Jaeden Mercure and Jacob Toste-Gyurik were named to the tournament All-Star team.
The Wolves will take on the Quebec champion Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers in the ¼ final on Wednesday November 6th at 3:00 pm. Champlain finished 5th in their conference regular season standings with a 4-4 record but went on an impressive playoff run going 3-0 on their way to a RSEQ conference championship. Those wishing to catch the game from home can purchase a streaming package at ccaalive.ca .
Women's Rugby 7s (6-8 Regular Season 1-2 Playoffs)
Our women's rugby 7s team was in Belleville this weekend to compete in the OCAA championship. The Wolves got the day started at 10:00 am with a ¼ Final matchup against the host Loyalist Lancers. OCAA All-Rookie team member Faiza Faucher-Ahmed had a big game for her team scoring all 3 tries on route to a 19-10 win. With the win the Wolves earned a spot in the ½ Final where they would take on the top seeded Durham Lords. Faucher-Ahmed was named player of the game for the Wolves.
The Wolves struck first against the Lords thanks to a big run by Mackenzie Cosh that led to an eventual Kari Read try. Despite giving the Lords an early scare, Durham eventually flexed their muscle on route to a 41-5 win meaning Algonquin would play for bronze later on that day. Sidney Seymour was named player of the game for the Wolves.
Algonquin squared off against the Humber Hawks later in the day with the OCAA bronze medal on the line. It was a tightly contested first half with the Wolves leading 7-5 going into the break thanks to a try by Mackenzie Cosh and a convert by Sidney Seymour. Humber would storm back in the 2nd half to take a 22-7 win. Mackenzie Cosh was the Wolves player of the game while Sidney Seymour was named to the championship All-Star team.
The Wolves finished 4th for the 2nd straight season. We are proud of the efforts they have put in all season and would like to thank our graduating seniors for their contributions to the program during their time at Algonquin. We also look forward to what is to come with the returning group.
Women's Volleyball (2-1)
A very large crowd gathered at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre on Friday night to watch our Wolves volleyball teams take on the Durham Lords in the home opener. It was also Mavs appreciation night and the Mavericks Volleyball club brought over 500 members to the ARC to help cheer on the Wolves.
The women's team took full advantage of the energy in the gym taking the first set from the Lords 25-17. Durham bounced back from their early struggles to take the next 3 and eventually win 3-1. Grace Pate had another big game for her team scoring 23 points on 10 aces and 13 kills. Rookie Carys Tenthorey had 9 kills, 3 aces and 10 digs.
The Wolves got back on the right track on Saturday when they welcomed the Centennial Colts to the ARC. Algonquin came away with a comfortable 3-0 sweep winning the sets 25-12, 26-24 and 25-19. Natasha Lauzon had a big game for her team scoring 15 points with 11 kills, 3 aces and a block. Cambria Alford also had a big game with 6 kills and 2 aces.
The Wolves will hit the road next week to take on the Georgian Grizzlies on Friday and Seneca Sting on Saturday before returning to the ARC for a Wednesday November 6th matchup with the La Cité Coyotes.
Men's Volleyball (0-3)
It was a tough home opening weekend in the wins and losses column for our young Wolves volleyball team. On Friday night vs Durham, just like the women's team the Wolves rode the momentum of a large crowd to take the first set from the Lords 25-23. Unfortunately Durham would go on to take the next 3 25-20, 25-20 and 29-27. Newcomer Nick Gauthier Barber is quickly becoming a fan favourite at the ARC. He finished with an impressive 13 kills and 20 digs. 5th year senior Mahmoud Abdelaziz had a strong performance with 11 kills and 30 digs.
On Saturday the Centennial Colts had the upper hand from start to finish taking the match 3-0.
Next up for the Wolves is a road trip to Barrie on Friday to take on the Georgian Grizzlies, followed by a matchup with the Seneca Sting Saturday before returning to the ARC for a Wednesday match vs the La Cité Coyotes.
Women's Basketball (2-0)
Our women's basketball team kicked-off their season this past weekend with a trip to the GTA. On Friday they took on the George Brown Huskies. The Wolves flexed their muscle defensively giving up just 5 points in the opening quarter and only 37 for the game on route to a 68-37 win. Dasia McDonald stuffed the stat sheet as usual with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. Chloe Lapointe also had a solid game scoring 9 points and grabbing 4 boards.
On Saturday against Centennial the Wolves D was even more impressive giving up just 28 total points and an impressive 0 points in the 3rd quarter for an eventual 90-28 win. The offence was well spread out with 5 players scoring in double figures, including Dasia McDonald with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 8 steals and 4 assists. Cooper Drover with 13 points, 8 boards and 4 assists. Piper Hatherall with 11 points and 9 boards. Jessica De Haan with 10 points and 9 boards. Last but not least, Libby Hirst with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
The Wolves will be back in front of their home crowd this Friday when the Georgian Grizzlies come to town. It's Pots and Pans Night, make sure to bring your pots and pans to make some noise as well as a non-perishable item in support of the SA Food Cupboard.
Men's Basketball (3-0)
Our men's basketball team is off to their best start in recent years after taking down La Cité last weekend and going 2-0 in the GTA in week 2.
On Friday they took on the George Brown Huskies. The game was tight throughout, but the Wolves rode a 30 point 4th quarter to come away with a 72-63 win. Simon Desta led all scorers with 18 points. Ted Braden had a double double with 11 points and 11 boards. Jevon Westcarth was also in double figures with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Saturday against Centennial was an offensive slug fest with Algonquin coming away with a 95-91 win. After sitting out Friday night, Tesloch Luk had a big offensive game for the Wolves scoring 30 points while adding 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Jevon Westcarth had a big game off the bench with an 18 point, 10 board double double. Simon Desta was solid again offensively with 14 points.
The Wolves will be back in front of their home crowd this Friday when the Georgian Grizzlies come to town. It's Pots and Pans Night, make sure to bring your pots and pans to make some noise as well as a non-perishable item in support of the SA Food Cupboard.
Make sure to stay tuned to AlgonquinWolves.com for all the details about this week's upcoming games!