Scarborough, Ontario - Duarte Ventura-Oliveira scored the eventual game-winning goal off a gorgeous pass from Shamir Akbar, securing a thrilling 2-1 victory for the Centennial Colts over the Algonquin Wolves. Centennial (4-0-1) pressured Algonquin (4-1) from the opening whistle, maintaining an early lead and fending off a late comeback attempt to claim the top seed in the OCAA.
Heading into the contest, Algonquin held the number one spot, but the Colts went toe-to-toe with the league's best. Head coach David Lattavo was very impressed with his team's effort. "Our coaching staff and our guys prepared properly," said the seventh-year manager. "We know it's going to be a battle next time we face them, so we have to stay humble and work hard."
The 67th-minute strike from Ventura-Oliveira was his sixth goal of the season and only the fourth goal Algonquin has conceded all year. Excellent vision from Akbar set up a near tap-in for the second-year player from Brampton, moving him into a tie for second in goals across the league.
Before that, it was Adonis Botsinis who opened the scoring 20 minutes into the match for the Colts. A fast break sent Justin Yarde through several defenders, and he found Botsinis to set up the game's first goal. Moments later, the Colts nearly made it 2-0 when a ball sent through the crease by Luc Ihama was headed just wide of the goal by Keith Dadson—almost perfectly timed.
Algonquin missed two golden opportunities to tie the game later in the first half as the clock ticked into added time Midfielder Connor David hit the post on one side, and striker Tristan Serra fired the rebound off the other in shocking fashion. That sent the Colts into the locker room still holding onto a 1-0 lead.
As the second half wore on, the Wolves finally broke through while the Colts heavily defended their two-goal lead. A free kick from Jacob Toste-Gyurik found the head of Alessandro Vivolo, who tipped it past Colts keeper Joshua Naraine to cut the lead in half with 15 minutes left to play.
Overall, Naraine made an impressive six saves, but none was bigger than a diving stop on striker Moe Alafandi seconds after he had been beaten by Vivolo. Alafandi found himself alone after the Wolves narrowed the gap, but he fired a shot into the diving Naraine, who ultimately preserved the win for the still-unbeaten Colts.
The third-year goalkeeper currently leads the league in save percentage, with an impressive .913, as Centennial has allowed only two goals through their five games. Now sitting in first place, the Colts have another three crucial points on the line tomorrow when they face the Cambrian Golden Shield at 3:00 PM.
By: Zachary Phillips
Photo C/O: James Phillips