Photo by Mike Marasco/ Contributor
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams faced ended their seasons after facing tough opponents at the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals, losing a chance to move one step closer to the finals.
The men’s team had a tough bout with one of the OUAs top teams, the York University Lions, where they lost 1-4. The women’s team lost to the Western University Mustangs, going scoreless while Western put up only one goal.
Off the field, the marauders had a great weekend, where they upheld their trend of excellence in helping the local community. A standout student-athlete from both the men’s and women’s soccer teams took home the Ontario University Athletics West divisional community service award. The west division makes up half of the conference in women’s and men’s soccer and a total of nine schools. The marauders soccer program has been a consistent recipient of this award.
A standout student-athlete from both the men’s and women’s soccer teams took home the Ontario University Athletics West divisional community service award.
For the women’s team, it was Claudia Continenza who took home the award for her work as a volunteer coach for club as well as high school level soccer teams in Hamilton. For the men’s team, Christian Cossidente was awarded for his efforts in the McMaster athletes care program. Cossidente participated in “Mac think pink”, which raised money for breast cancer research. He also supported the “Bell let’s talk” movement and many more similar initiatives. Cossidente winning the OUA West divisional community service award marks the fifth time in six years that a marauder from the men’s team has taken home the award.
Outside of these community service awards, the teams did well in terms of OUA West all-star placing. The men’s and women’s teams both had one player grace the All-star first-team, the team comprised of the very best players in the OUA West. Midfielder Anand Sergeant and women’s team captain Stephanie Roberts both attained their second appearance on the first team for the second year in a row.
The OUA West second team all-stars is where the performances of more marauders were recognized. Carling Goold and Hannah Chau-Stacey represented the women’s team, while Matthew Monteiro Yordan Stoyanov and Dusan Kovacevic made appearances on the men’s OUA West second team.
This year marks the final year of play for the captains of both the men’s and women’s teams: Stephanie Roberts and Yordan Stoyanov. Roberts was a powerhouse in the OUA West, leading the nation in goals last year. As previously mentioned, she was an OUA West first team all-star both last year and this year. Stoyanov had terrific on-field presence. Both will likely be greatly missed next year.
Even though it was an unfortunate end to the season, the marauders did not let down their community. The individual recognition for the all-star teams are high level achievements. Perhaps, the marauders nominated for all-star teams will jump into a bigger role next year for the maroon and grey.
Anand Sergeant is going into his third year on the men’s soccer team and is ready to build off of a highly successful campaign that he had the 2018-2019 season. Sergeant is one of the team’s top players and boasts an impressive resume. For his success on the field, he was named a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star.
With a large portion of the team in their second year and above, the players have a wealth of knowledge at their disposal. Their familiarity with the competitive level of play inherent in varsity athletics will continue to guide them in using their strengths to their advantage. Most importantly, the current roster is one that has grown together.
Anand Sergeant - Men's Soccer
Anand Sergeant (14) M
“I’m optimistic about our team this year. We have a group of players who have been around for a few years now, so we have more experience under our belts. I think that shows in games like yesterday’s against York, where the result wasn't what we wanted but . . . this year I really noticed a good composure amongst the whole team. I think that’s a sign that we’re maturing together. We have the players required for a deep playoff run,” said Sergeant.
Chemistry may play a large role in the team’s ability to succeed this year, many of the players have gotten to a point where they have a deep understanding of the nuances of each other’s game.
“Growing [up] with guys in your year and adjacent years, you get to know everyone's tendencies. I think that's really important when you go on the field together because it’s like [there is an] unspoken chemistry, [you can] communicate and work off the guys around you. I think that experience definitely means a lot to the team this year,” Sergeant said.
The team has its eyes set on gold as they strive to make it to the OUA championship and, hopefully, to the U Sports national championship as well.
“The ultimate goal for everyone is winning a championship, so there’s the OUA championship which would be massive to win, it's been a long time since McMaster has done that. Then the ultimate ultimate goal is the U sports national championship, which is in November and brings together the best teams from every conference,” said Sergeant.
Men's soccer team at a game against the York Lions.
Seeing as though Sergeant is a decorated and talented player, his role on the team naturally developed into a leadership role. Sergeant embraces this role and the challenges that come along with it. He spoke of how he was inspired by veteran players and their desire to lead the team.
From then on, he felt more of a responsibility to be a leader on his team. Due to his experience, he wants to be someone that other players on the team can look to for advice or answers to questions. He said that his ability to lead lies in his preparation, focus and performance.
Sergeant and the men’s soccer team are one to watch this year as they look forward to a great season and deep playoff run. You can catch their next game when they play the Brock Badgers on Sep. 14.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
