OSHAWA, Ont. – After a couple of absent seasons, the Durham College men's and women's soccer teams will appear in the OCAA championships for the first time since 2014 and 2009, respectively.
 
The women's team qualified for the 2017 Belairdirect OCAA Women's Soccer Championship at Cambrian College in Sudbury after defeating the Sheridan Bruins 4-0 in the crossover round. At the Oshawa Civic Field, the Lords hosted the Bruins in a one-game winner-take-all to advance to the championship.
 
Head coach Alex Bianchi and his squad, who finished the regular season with a 7-3-2 record, look ahead to a tough match-up against the Fanshawe Falcons. The Falcons won the west division with a 7-1-2 record, only conceding three goals all season.
 
First-year goalkeeper Jayden Ball (Oshawa, Ont.) finished her first season with a 7-2-1 record, three shutouts, 68 saves and only 10 goals against in 10 games played. The Lords also had three players in the OCAA's top ten in goals scored with Milinda Roblero (Pickering, Ont.) scoring 10, Natassha Hassenstein (Oshawa, Ont.) with nine and Cory Lapointe (Whitby, Ont.) netting seven.
 
Despite finishing third in the east region, the Lords come into the playoffs on a hot streak winning five in a row and going unbeaten in six. After winning three, losing three and tying one game in September, the month of October was a whole new show. After tying the Seneca Sting to start the month, the Lords picked up a pair of 6-1 wins over Centennial and St. Lawrence before ending the regular season with two consecutive 4-0 shutouts on the road. Durham carried that 4-0 trend into the crossover game against Sheridan where they matched that same score.
 
The men's team missed out on the OCAA men's soccer championship the last two seasons, but they are back in it again this year at Fleming College in Peterborough as they open postseason action against the Fanshawe Falcons. The Lords qualified for the playoffs after earning a 3-1 victory over the St. Clair Saints in the crossover game in Windsor, Ont.
 
Durham placed second in the east division with a 6-3-1 record and a plus-11 goal difference, but similar to the women's team, they will have a tough first round match up as they take on the undefeated Fanshawe Falcons. In their last playoff appearance in 2014, the Lords struggled to find the back of the net in Welland, Ont. after getting shutout by both Humber and Sheridan.
 
Bruce Cullen (Pickering, Ont.) was the Lords' leading scorer for the second straight year, finding the back of the net five times in eight games played. This was good enough to rank him in the top ten among all OCAA men's soccer players. Dylan Yeo (Newmarket, Ont.) started in all ten games for the Lords this season, recording five shutouts in six wins and stopping 74 shots while conceding seven goals.
 
The men's soccer team go to Peterborough on a three-game win streak, outscoring opponents 7-1 during that time. They will open the championship against the Fanshawe Falcons on Oct. 26 at the Fleming College Sport Complex at 9 a.m.
 
On the women's side, they will face off against the Fanshawe Falcons on Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. at the Honourable James Jerome Sports Complex in Sudbury.
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS (Men's)
Overall Record: 9-5-2
Conference Record: 6-3-1
 
Next Game: Oct. 26 vs. Fanshawe Falcons (9 a.m. – Fleming College)
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS (Women's)
Overall Record: 9-5-2
Conference Record: 7-3-2
 
Next Game: Oct. 26 vs. Fanshawe Falcons (12 p.m. – Cambrian College)