The George Brown Huskies men's soccer team put together an incredible comeback to advance to the bronze semifinal at the CCAA National Championship. Goalkeeper Aubery Lowe made two saves, and four Huskies scored in a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout in the bronze quarter-finals against the Salt Trojans on Thursday afternoon.
"The team has been grinders all season long," head coach John Williams said. "They play until the last whistle, and good for them for staying with the play and continue to push throughout this match."
HOW IT HAPPENED: It was a fairly even match in the opening 30 minutes, but the host struck first. A Trojan was brought down in the box by Lowe, which caused a penalty shot and Matteo Zanin made no mistakes in the 32nd minute. The score remained the same, heading into halftime.
In the second half, both teams had numerous chances, but no one could find the back of the net. The match was very chippy, which led to numerous yellow cards and a red card in a critical part. Trojans Atherton Bradley picked up his second yellow card in the 75 minute to go down a man. That opened the field more for the Huskies offence to go to work. In the match's final minutes with George Brown's historic season on the line, the most unexpected player came up big. Second-year midfielder Mashhood Rehman dribbled past two defenders before rifling his first-career goal for the Huskies.
From there, the Huskies and Trojans needed penalties to decide a winner. After both teams scored on their first attempt, Lowe made back-to-back saves to put his team in control. Then, with the match on the line, Yonis Jama converted on the final penalty kick to advance to the bronze semifinal.
Goalkeeper Lowe was named Player of the Game for the Huskies. He made six saves during the match and two in penalties.
"Aubrey is a first-class goalkeeper. Last night wasn't his best game, but he bounced back massively. We knew we could count on him," coach Williams stated. "He made numerous saves to keep us in it, especially during the penalty kicks. He's a big reason why we're here and are still playing in the championship."
UP NEXT: The Huskies will battle the Nomades Montmorency in the bronze semifinal tomorrow afternoon for a chance to fight for a bronze medal.
Momo is a solid squad. They are very focused and methodical in how they move the ball. Every pass is two plays ahead," coach Williams explained. "So defensively, if we're not organized, they will pick up apart. It's essential that we stay behind the ball and not dive in on them. If we do that, we'll be in the game, but if we lose our focus and discipline, it's going to be tough."
All the action begins at 2:30pm (EST).