The Humber Hawks’ men’s soccer team entered the 2025 collegiate season as reigning national champions after securing their 10th Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) gold medal and their third title in four years.
Before the season began, longtime head coach Michael Aquino, an eight-time OCAA champion and seven-time national champion, departed to take over the Seneca Sting.
His successor was 16-year assistant coach Jason Mesa, a former Hawk who had won nine national titles, one as a player in 2001 and eight as a coach. Mesa had already been inducted into both the Humber Hall of Fame and the OCAA Hall of Fame, making his promotion a natural progression.
He said the transition was smooth because of his experience within the program.
“Being a part of this program for so many years, understanding what it takes to win here, it was business as usual,” Mesa said.
Humber opened the season with two strong road performances: a 4–2 win over St. Clair and a dominant 10–0 victory against Lambton.
Their home opener brought a third straight win as they defeated Fanshawe 3–0.
The Hawks continued this momentum with victories over Conestoga, Niagara, the return fixture against Fanshawe, and Mohawk. Before facing Niagara, Humber was ranked No. 1 in Canada by the CCAA, a ranking they would hold up to the end of the season.
After narrowly defeating Mohawk, the Hawks improved to 7-0 with six consecutive clean sheets, a streak that ended in a 5–1 win over Redeemer to start October.
A goal from senior defender Isaiah Noel secured the division title against Conestoga, and Humber closed out the regular season with a win over Sheridan to finish a perfect 10–0.
They scored 32 goals and conceded only four.
Humber had a strong presence in the OCAA awards, earning six first-team all-star selections, three second-team all-stars, and one all-rookie team member.
They followed with a 5–0 win over Niagara and a 3–0 win over Seneca to reach the OCAA final.
Defender Luca Pinto, who scored twice against Niagara, said the team’s formation gave him more attacking freedom.
“Playing three in the back helped me get up the field more to play more as a winger,” he said.
Pinto emphasized the team’s defensive focus: “We work really hard as a team to make sure every single game we don't allow goals,” he said. “It’s part of our DNA.”
The match against Niagara saw each team receive a red card. Captain Carmine Fiore said the intensity contributed to the moment. “With such a high-stakes game, I think decisions made in the heat of the moment by both players and match officials contributed to the red cards,” he said.
Fiore scored twice against Seneca, both off corners, and said a new tactic played a role. “The team implemented a new set-piece strategy, and I was fortunate enough to put myself on the receiving end of the ball and finish the opportunity,” he said.
The Hawks fell 2–0 to Conestoga in the OCAA final, earning their first silver medal since 2023, when they also fell to the Condors.
Fiore said the team did not meet its usual “standard” in the loss.
Despite that setback, Humber rebounded at nationals, defeating Champlain Saint-Lambert in Montreal to secure their 11th CCAA title and become back-to-back national champions for the first time since 2021–2022.
Women’s soccer just misses out on nationals and a potential bronze medal
The Humber Hawks’ women’s soccer team entered the season coming off an OCAA silver medal and a near-miss at nationals.
Head coach Jose Caro returned for his third year, leading the team to consecutive silver-medal finishes and looking to build on that success.
The women opened their season undefeated through four matches, earning two draws and two wins over Lambton and Fanshawe.
Their first loss came in a tight 1–0 game against Niagara at home. Humber responded with a 2–1 win on the road against Fanshawe and a 1–0 win over Mohawk to close out September.
October started with another close match, a 1-0 loss to Redeemer, marking their sixth one-goal game of the season.
Humber bounced back with a 4–0 victory over Conestoga and finished the regular season 5-2-3.
The Hawks opened the postseason with a strong 6–2 win over Cambrian, then earned a significant 2–0 quarterfinal win against Algonquin in Ottawa to reach the semifinals. Their matchup with St. Clair went to overtime, where Humber suffered a 2–1 loss, ending their national championship hopes.
In the bronze-medal match against Seneca, the women fell again in double overtime, breaking their streak of eight straight OCAA podium finishes.
Team captain Chantel Spalla said the team cannot think about the losses for too long.
“We can only dwell so much. The only thing that will make anything change is focusing on our weaknesses and building to come back stronger,” she said. “We were successful in many ways, and I’m extremely proud of our accomplishments this year, and I’m excited for what is to come."
