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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 201026 Oakville Soccer Club product shooting for NCAA championship By Kevin Nagel METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Last year, Jordan Kotsopoulos was helping Burlingtons Corpus Christi Longhorns win a Halton high school AA senior boys soccer title. Today (Thursday), the Oakville Soccer Club product and his Northern Kentucky University Norse teammates will attempt to advance to the NCAA Division II mens soccer championship game. No. 4-ranked NKU (18-2-3) will face New Yorks Dowling Golden Lions (No. 10, 12-1-5) for the right to compete for the NCAA title against the survivor of todays other semifinal game featuring No. 5 Rollins (Florida) and No. 2 Midwestern State (Texas). Louisville, Ky., about a two-hour drive south- west of NKU, is the site for the Final Four tourna- ment with the championship game set for Saturday. Todays opponent, Dowling, defeated the Norse 2-1 in overtime in the NKUs only other participa- tion in the NCAA semifinals two years ago. There is definitely a huge incentive for our team to win this semifinal, said Kotsopoulos Tuesday via e-mail from NKU, reflecting on the heartbreaking loss two years ago when Dowling came back from a 1-0 deficit. Kotsopoulos, an 18-year-old centre midfielder, gained a starting position in his first season at the school and has rewarded coach John Basalygas confidence in him. While he has yet to score, Kotspoulos set up a goal in each of the teams last three games when Northern Kentucky was win- ning conference, regional and NCAA tournament matches. Ive come close many times, said Kotsopoulos. It seems unusual to go through a season without scoring once. As long as the team is scoring, it doesnt bother me too much. Hopefully I can put one away in (todays) game. Kotsopoulos spent all but two of his rep sea- sons with the Oakville Soccer Club, helping the team blaze a trail through the Ontario Youth Soccer League and also win the Disney Showcase Classic in Florida last year. He also played for the Toronto Football Clubs junior and senior level academy teams and saw action in the U17 Major League Soccer Cup in Denver in 2008. In addition, Kotsopoulos is a former provincial player, a key member of the Ontario team that won the Canadian championship in Edmonton when Kostopoulos was 14. Now living in Kentucky for the past four months, Kotsopoulos who is looking to special- ize in finance or economics is enjoying univer- sity life despite the heavy workload. Starting every game since the beginning is a huge accomplishment for me, said Kotsopolous. A lot of people dont realize how competitive Division II soccer is in the States, especially for the top 25 teams. Being put on the field to start every game was definitely a surprise for me. And whats in store for NKU mens soccer this week? I feel our team has a great chance to win it this year, he said. Fitness is one of our teams biggest assets. When two good teams play each other it usually comes down to fitness and passion to win, which our team has shown a ton of throughout the season. FINAL FOUR: Former Oakville Soccer Club player Jordan Kotsopoulos, pictured in action with the Northern Kentucky University Norse earlier this season, is playing in the NCAA Division II mens soccer Final Four this week. Dawson on national team Dan Dawson will have the opportunity to win another world indoor lacrosse champi- onship. The 28-year-old Oakville native was recently named to Canadas roster for the 2011 world indoor championships in Prague. Dawson, the 2009 National Lacrosse Leagues most valu- able player, has 290 goals and 388 assists in 139 regular-sea- son NLL games. Dan is, pound for pound, the strongest offensive player in the sport, Canada assistant general manager Dr. Don Hedges said. Hes a clutch per- former who is known for his shot and who is underrated as a passer. Dawson helped Canada win the world title the last time the championships were held in 2007, but he isnt taking any- thing for granted. The last world indoor tour- nament showed how well- rounded the lacrosse world is now, said Dawson, highlight- ing the U.S. and Iroquois as Canadas main challengers. If we stay stagnant, every- body is not only going to catch up with us, (they will) pass us. The 2011 worlds will be held May 21-28. PHOTO COURTESY JEFF MCCURRY/NKU SPORTS INFORMATION Aquinas, Kings eliminated early at OFSAA tournaments The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders were consolation semifi- nalists at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) boys volleyball AA championships last week in Mississauga. Relegated to the consolation bracket after finishing third in its pool in round-robin play, Aquinas defeated Mississaugas Mentor College 25-23, 25-17 in the consolation quarter-finals. The Raiders were eliminated in the semis, however, with a 23-25, 18-25 loss to Rocklands E.S. LEscale. Meanwhile, the Kings Christian College Cavaliers lost three competitive games at last weeks OFSAA girls basket- ball A championships in Sarnia. Kings fell 40-33 to Jean-Vanier, 40-31 to Vankleek and 23- 22 to North Middlesex to be eliminated. Adetoriala Odetunde led the Cavaliers with 16 points against Jean-Vanier and 13 against Vankleek. Katy Moes was the Cavs top scorer against North Middlesex, notching 13 points. Dan Dawson will suit up for Canada at the 2011 world indoor lacrosse championships.