Trojans and Nomades advance to the Bronze Medal Final

Match 11: Nomades de Montmorency 3, Langara Falcons 2

A quick goal staked the Nomades de Montmorency to an early lead on their way to a 3-2 victory over the Langara Falcons, sending the Nomades back to the bronze-medal game.

It marks the second straight year the RSEQ champions from Laval will play for third place as they look to improve on their fourth-place finish in 2021.

Head coach Francisco Vela said this year's path is different, as his team lost in the quarter-final round compared to losing the semi-final match a year ago. That has meant they have had more time to process the fact they were not playing for the championship.

"The turnaround was a bit longer, so we had time to digest our loss since we lost in the quarter-final. The objective has been to win the bronze for at least two days now. That makes a big difference," he said. "I think we have learned from our mistakes, and we understood how important a bronze medal is by not having won it last year."

Montmorency took control early, scoring in the 11^th minute and then added another in the 29^th minute.

"We have the technical capabilities to create our own chances, and that is what we did the entire game," the coach added.

"We started off early putting pressure on the other team and once we get flowing, the goals start coming," said Maleek Manswell-Nicholls, who opened the scoring for the Nomades.

Xavier Houndo-Richard doubled the lead in the 29^th minute – his third goal in the past two games – but less than two minutes later, Langara's Taku Ota responded to make it 2-1 going into the half.

Alexandre Marcoux converted a penalty kick in the 70^th minute to make it 3-1 and that proved crucial as five minutes later, the Falcons' Mohee Alyousef made it a one-goal game once again.

The Falcons did have a pair of opportunities in the late-going for the equalizer but could not convert o the chances.

Houndo-Richard (Montmorency) and Zyahn Adlam (Langara) were the respective 4imprint Players of the Game.

Match 10 : SAIT Trojans 2, VIU Mariners 1

The SAIT Trojans are a victory away from medalling for the first time at the CCAA Men's National Soccer Championship.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference champions from Calgary scored goals in the 21^st minute and again in the 57^th in a 2-1 victory over the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PacWest) champion VIU Mariners from Nanaimo.

The Mariners received a goal from Billy Bagiopoulos (90'+2') but could not muster the equalizer.

The Trojans goals came from Nico Gonzales – this third in the past two games – and 4imprint Player of the Game Brock Mitchell, who scored for the second consecutive game.

"Just desire. I think the whole team, every position, everyone did their job, everyone worked as hard as they could, and ultimately, I think that is what got it for us," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said it means a lot to be in contention for a medal after losing their opening-round match.

"If you let it affect you too much, it definitely makes it harder to go forward so you have to shake it off. That is part of the adversity into getting to this stage; on to the next," he said.

Coach Connor Brady was proud of his team's effort considering they are fighting both injuries and a flu bug.

SAIT played at nationals last year as well, losing both of their games, but gaining valuable experience.

"In order to become that winning program, there is a lot of learning that has to happen," said SAIT coach Connor Brady, who received his second yellow card and will miss the next match.

"Bit of grit, bit of determination, and a whole lot of heart from this group," he said. "Today was a gutsy one."

VIU's Juan Rubiano was his team's 4imprint Player of the Game.

Match 9 : Holland Hurricanes 2, Rouges de Saint-Boniface 1

After the disappointment of back-to-back losses to open the CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship, the Holland Hurricanes will head home on their cross-country flight back to Prince Edward Island on a winning note thanks to a 2-1 victory on Friday morning over Winnipeg's Les Rouges de Saint Boniface in the seventh-eighth place game.

"It is always nice to end on a good note. The boys have committed a lot of time and dedication to the season," said Holland coach Jonathan Vos.

"We talked pre-game about keeping that commitment going for another 90 minutes and finishing the job today and they did just that."

Clay Kelly opened the scoring for the Hurricanes in the 38^th minute before Mohammed Alhaj Ali made it 2-0 in the 61^st minute. The goal became even bigger as less than a minute later, Michel Sonan responded for the Les Rouges.

Kelly was Holland's 4imprint Player of the Game while St. Boniface goalkeeper Daniel Loughren was his team's award recipient.

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