Satbir Singh
Sports Information Coordinator
Mountaineers men's soccer is set to host an OCAA playoff game on Saturday, Oct. 16. following a 2-2-2 regular season.
First-year head coach Jordan Brown rebuilt the program from scratch prior to the 2021/22 season, recruiting all new players during the year-long pause in OCAA action due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The players have definitely gelled and come together as a group," Brown said. "With no returning players and none of the recruits having played with each other at the club level previously, it was a true fresh start."
Brown admits the process through the year has taken some adjusting and getting used to, but he's happy with how his team has established chemistry in a shortened season.
Mountaineers finished with the second-best record in the OCAA south division. They'll play the Conestoga Condors (2-3-1), who finished third in the OCAA west division, in the opening round.
"It's the playoffs and every team who's in has earned the right to be involved," Brown said.
He admitted that Conestoga isn't a team to take lightly, specifically since the Condors were able to pick up a 0-0 draw versus a strong Fanshawe squad during the season.
Despite scoring nine goals in their first two games, the Mountaineers finished with a total of 15 on the year. They ranked fifth in the OCAA in goals for.
Defensively, Mohawk surrendered 12 goals on the season, which placed them ninth in the goals against category.
Conestoga ranked 10th in goals for with 10 and also gave up 12 goals to rank tied for ninth with the Mountaineers.
Mohawk has battled some adversity with injuries, but Brown gave credit to his squad for fighting through the loss of some key pieces. The Mountaineers leading goal scorers Aleksa Markovic and Michael Gavrilos both missed the final three games of the season.
Markovic led the Mountaineers with four goals, while Gavrilos and Amanjyot Singh tied for two. Seven Mohawk players had a goal each as well.
"We need that team work ethic to carry through to the playoffs," Brown said.
Oliver Steinke was the key goalkeeper for Mohawk, playing in five of the six games. The first-year gave up nine goals, but made 35 saves and had one shutout.
Conestoga was led offensively by Malachi Ramsay, who scored two goals on the year. The Condors also had seven players score a goal each.
Goalkeeper Ian Anderson-Mckenzie played in all six Condor matches. He gave up 12 goals, made 48 saves and had two shutouts.
The theme heading into the playoffs will be the same for the Mountaineers as it has been for the last few weeks: eliminating mistakes and being tough to beat.
"We have faith in our ability to cause problems and create chances against any opposition, so it's really important to keep the other team off the scoreboard," Brown said.
The Mountaineers and Condors will kick-off at Dave Mantel Field at 2 p.m. on Oct. 16.
