By Ben Furnish

On a recent crisp sunny Saturday morning, the RSGC Knights traveled down to Cherry Beach in Toronto to finish the conquest they set on in early September. The atmosphere was electric, with opposing fans hurling cries of motivation and encouragement to the their respective team. At the beginning of the season, there were 12 teams standing. Now, only four remained.

The first matchup of the day was a semi-final matchup versus St Andrew’s College. SAC had finished second place in the Western Conference, so on top of the caliber of the team the Knights faced, we were unfamiliar with how SAC played. At this point in the season, the Knights knew the game plan. It was up to us to execute the strategies put in place by Coaches Thornbury and Fleming. 

The two teams lined up and exchanged handshakes, and the game was underway. Right off the bat, it was clear what SAC’s intentions were: disrupt RSGC’s technical play with brutal physicality. The Knights were unprepared for this. Despite an early goal from an attacking midfielder, Azarius Chaburksy, the Knights were on their heels for most of the first half. In the latter stages of the half, the Knights coughed up the ball in the bad territory. It did not take long for SAC’s striker to jump on the ball, take a dribble, and pot a goal in the top right-hand corner. The Knights went into the half tied 1-1, but it felt like we were down by three goals. 

Interim captain Aris Kanellopolous was the one to address the situation. The captain’s message was clear. In order to win, the Knights needed to match SAC’s physicality. In the second half, that is exactly what transpired. 

The Knights matched the intensity levels and had the Saints on their heels for the majority of the second half. In the 70th minute, the ball found attacking midfielder Sam Andersen. A crucial mid-season addition, Andersen seemed to have a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Andersen made no mistake with the ball, placing it in the net and securing the victory for the Knights. 
The last couple of minutes were a formality, with the Saints showing frustration with the physicality the Knights presented. The whistle sounded, and just like that, the Knights looked to accomplish their ultimate goal, with a championship bout versus the Holy Trinity Hawks in front of them.