REDEEMER TO HOST 2012 OCAA MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

Redeemer University College will be the official host of the 2012 OCAA Men's Outdoor Soccer Provincial Championships. The event will take place at Redeemer's new soccer complex on October 26th and 27th. The Championship will see the Final Four teams in the province compete for the gold medal.

The decision was made last week at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) annual general meetings, hosted by Algonquin College (Ottawa). Representatives of all 30 OCAA members met throughout the week to plan important initiatives for the 2012-13 season and beyond as well as determine the Championship hosts for the 2012-2013 season.

The semi-final matches will take place on Friday October 26th and the bronze and gold medal matches will take place on Saturday October 27th. This will be the first time that Redeemer has hosted the Men's Outdoor Soccer Championships. Algonquin College will host the 2012 Women's Outdoor Soccer Championships.

"We are excited to welcome the top players and teams in the province to Ancaster," said Redeemer's Athletic Director Dave Mantel. "We look forward to building on the successful hosting of other recent Provincial Championships."

Most recently, Redeemer has been the host of the 2011-2012 Badminton Championships, 2009-2010 Men's Volleyball Championships, and the 2007-2008 Cross Country Championships. "Our soccer program is growing and with that growth we expect to put teams out on the field that are competing for Provincial medals", says Mantel. The challenge for Redeemer's men's soccer team is quite clear as Redeemer has medaled at the last three Provincial Championships hosted by the institution.

Redeemer's Soccer Development Coordinator, Caell Huyer, thinks hosting the Championships is a great opportunity and exciting for Hamilton and the surrounding area. "We have the ability to invite people in to catch a glimpse of some of the top soccer in the province. We have a great facility here at Redeemer and we look forward to sharing it with the community and making this a really fantastic event."

Redeemer will also host an indoor soccer regional on March 7. The regional will see both men's and women's indoor soccer teams competing at home for a qualification spot in the indoor soccer Provincial Championships.

The Full list of 2012-2013 OCAA Provincial Championship hosts is listed below:

Badminton - Centennial College (Feb. 15-16, 2013)
Men's Basketball - Seneca College (Feb. 28 - March 2, 2013)
Women's Basketball - Humber College (Feb. 28 - March 2, 2013)
Cross Country - Algoma University (Oct. 20, 2012)
Curling - Fanshawe College (Feb. 14-17, 2013)
Women's Fastball - Seneca College (Oct. 19-20, 2012)
Golf - St. Clair College (Oct. 1-3, 2012)
Indoor Soccer - Conestoga College (March 21-22, 2013 at OSA Soccer Centre)
Men's Rugby - Home of Highest Seed (Nov. 17 or 18, 2012)
Women's Rugby - Home of Highest Seed (Nov. 17 or 18, 2012)
Men's Soccer - Redeemer University College (Oct. 26-27, 2012)
Women's Soccer - Algonquin College (Oct. 26-27, 2012)
Men's Volleyball - Sheridan Institute of Technology (Feb. 21-23, 2013)
Women's Volleyball - Trent University (Feb. 21-23, 2013)

Regional hosts have also been selected for the 2012-13 badminton and indoor soccer seasons. Cambrian College and Mohawk College will host the East and West regionals in badminton, respectively, from Feb. 1-2, 2013, while Conestoga will host three regional indoor soccer tournaments at the OSA Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont., from March 4-6. Redeemer will host an indoor soccer regional on March 7.

Source: Redeemer University College