Marauders men's soccer player Paul Ekwueme sits down to discuss getting drafted by Hamilton's Premier League team, Forge FC
It has been over two months since fourth-year honours commerce student and Marauders soccer player Paul Ekwueme found out that Hamilton’s very own Forge FC drafted him in the U Sports draft, and he still cannot believe it. Forge FC is one of eight teams in the Canadian Premier League.
“There wasn’t a lot of information before the draft started. You don’t get much news on which teams are watching [you]. But I was super happy to get drafted,” said Ekwueme.
Ekwueme was selected in the first round, seventh overall, by his hometown team, Forge FC. In the U Sports draft, Canadian Premier League teams select university soccer players. However, they do not play for the team immediately, as they are first offered developmental contracts.
This allows a student to travel and practice with the team while maintaining their eligibility to play for their university's sports team.
“I’ve been with the team since day one, participating in practices and preseason. You’re basically on trial with the team,” said Ekwueme.
I’ve been with the team since day one, participating in practices and preseason. You’re basically on trial with the team.
Paul Ekwueme, Soccer Player
McMaster Men's Soccer
Ekwueme said there are eight more weeks of preseason before the official season starts in April 2025.
“I was one of the older, more experienced guys at McMaster. Going to Forge, I’m kind of the opposite—I’m one of the younger guys. It’s been an adjustment having to learn from other players, but it’s been a great experience for sure,” said Ekwueme.
Ekwueme has been playing soccer since the age of four. He credits the influence of his older brothers as inspiration for picking up the sport.
He has kept his schedule busy, playing for Alliance United FC in League1, a men’s semi-professional league. He has also played for the Marauders men’s soccer team for the past two years.
“Having a really good team together, with great strikers who scored a lot of goals and defenders who kept clean sheets, helped me play better and get drafted,” said Ekwueme.
The selection by Forge FC meant even more to Ekwueme because he was not drafted the year before. Going into the season, he feels hopeful that they will eventually call his name to officially play for the team.
“I’ve done a lot of hard work leading up to this point, and I know that I have to keep working,” said Ekwueme.
As for whether Ekwueme will return to play for the Marauders, it is still uncertain. He told The Silhouette that it will depend on whether Forge FC offers him a full-time contract.
“My goal is to one day play as a professional, win games and win more awards. Just seeing some of the older, more experienced players at Forge and the careers they’ve had, it’s very motivating,” said Ekwueme.
My goal is to one day play as a professional, win games and win more awards.
Paul Ekwueme, Soccer Player
McMaster Men's Soccer
The official Canadian Premier League season will begin on April 5, 2025, when Forge FC takes on Cavalry FC in their first game of the season.
Marauders' soccer team losses OUA semifinals to Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in a penalty shootout
The Marauders' men's soccer team faced the Ontario Tech University Ridgeback's at the OUA semifinals on Oct. 26. The Marauders had many opportunities to score against the Ridgebacks team that finished in the top five in their division. Despite having several opportunities to score, the Marauders could not get the job done.
Amir Shirazi, captain of the team, thought they did well against the Ridebacks, despite the missed opporrtunites.
“We did a good job against them [The Ridgebacks] throughout the game, but obviously the disappointing thing was the chances that we missed," said Shirazi
We did a good job against them [The Ridgebacks] throughout the game, but obviously the disappointing thing was the chances that we missed.
Amiri Shirazi, Captain
McMaster Soccer team
Shirazi, a fourth-year commerce student, scored a goal to put them up, but it was later deemed offside by the official.
With both teams scoreless, the game went to a shootout.
“We practiced penalties before, as we do before any playoff game. We knew what to expect going in,” said Shirazi
Both teams exchanged goals throughout the shootout. The Ridgebacks’ four straight goals and the key saves made by their keeper secured the win.
Despite the loss, Shirazi and the rest of the team were proud with the way they played.
“We knew they were a dangerous team, but me, the rest of the team and the coaches are proud of the way that we played. We stuck to our gameplan," said Shirazi.
We knew they were a dangerous team, but me, the rest of the team and the coaches are proud of the way that we played. We stuck to our gameplan.
Amiri Shirazi, captain
McMaster Soccer team
Shirazi finished the season with the most goal and assist contributions in the OUA tournament. He also finished second in goals, scoring 10 through 11 regular season games. As a whole, the Marauders were second in their division.
Shirazi told the Silhouette that the team attained their goal of at least making it to the semifinals.
“I had a great season, so when you look at it that way, there was a lot of individual success for me. But honestly, I don’t measure that the same way as playing in the finals," said Shirazi.
Although the Marauders missed a chance to play in the OUA championship, key players like Shirazi will be returning next season. For him, it will be his fifth and final year.
Having won the tournament in the 2021-2022 season, they are hoping to match this prior success next year
Amir Shirazi named athlete of the week for his outstanding performance against Brock Badgers
The men's soccer forward for McMaster University, Amir Shirazi, was selected athlete of the week following his strong performance on September 1st. Following a difficult 2 to 0 setback to the York Lions on Friday, Shirazi was a major factor in McMaster's 2 to 0 victory against the Brock Badgers on the night of Sunday Sep. 8 at 8:15pm, securing the Marauder's first victory of the season by scoring both of of the two goals.
When asked about the honor, Shirazi replied with humbleness. "It feels good to be recognized, but honestly, it’s all about the team. We knew it would be a tough weekend playing our biggest rivals right away. We’re happy with the win, but we could have done better," said Shirazi
It feels good to be recognized, but honestly, it’s all about the team. We knew it would be a tough weekend playing our biggest rivals right away. We’re happy with the win, but we could have done better.
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Between the two games, Shirazi played for 173 minutes, showing his stamina and determination. It can be exhausting to play back-to-back games, but Shirazi explained how he remains prepared. “Last year, I played a lot of minutes during doubleheaders, so I knew what to expect. It’s about preparing well, resting after the first game, and getting mentally ready for the next one,” said Shirazi.
While describing how he scored the first goal, Shirazi mentioned that it was a tactic he had already practiced with teammate Carlos Spiro. “Carlos cut in and played across. I headed it in after the goalie made a great save. We practiced a similar play in preseason, so I kind of knew what was coming,” said Shirazi.
Carlos cut in and played across. I headed it in after the goalie made a great save. We practiced a similar play in preseason, so I kind of knew what was coming.
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Shirazi received a free kick which led to his second goal. “In the game against York, I had a free kick from the same spot, but it hit the post. So, when I got the same chance against Brock and scored, it felt really good,” said Shirazi.
Although the team was frustrated by the outcome against York prior to facing the Brock Badgers, Shirazi clarified that they saw it as a teaching moment. “We made mistakes in the first half, but we created a lot of chances. We just couldn’t finish them. We took what we learned from that game and brought it into the next one, and we got the win,” said Shirazi.
In addition, Shirazi attributed his success to his colleagues. “The midfield, wingers, and fullbacks are all working hard to get me the ball in good positions. Guys like Mohamed El-Shachman, Carlos Spiro, and Damiano Refosco are the reason I’ve been able to score so many goals. It’s a team effort,” said Shirazi.
The midfield, wingers, and fullbacks are all working hard to get me the ball in good positions. Guys like Mohamed El-Shachman, Carlos Spiro, and Damiano Refosco are the reason I’ve been able to score so many goals. It’s a team effort
Amir Shirazi, forward, McMaster men's soccer
Despite his achievement this past game, Shirazi is more focused on the group's future performance than on individual awards. “Every year, we aim to win the OUAs and qualify for nationals. That’s still my goal. I just want to help the team finish in the top two and do well in the playoffs. My job as a striker is to score goals, and I’ll keep doing that to help the team win,” said Shirazi.
As the Marauder's continue their season, Shirazi will be a key player to watch as the team pushes for a strong finish in the OUA standings.
Photo by Mike Marasco/ Contributor
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams faced ended their seasons after facing tough opponents at the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals, losing a chance to move one step closer to the finals.
The men’s team had a tough bout with one of the OUAs top teams, the York University Lions, where they lost 1-4. The women’s team lost to the Western University Mustangs, going scoreless while Western put up only one goal.
Off the field, the marauders had a great weekend, where they upheld their trend of excellence in helping the local community. A standout student-athlete from both the men’s and women’s soccer teams took home the Ontario University Athletics West divisional community service award. The west division makes up half of the conference in women’s and men’s soccer and a total of nine schools. The marauders soccer program has been a consistent recipient of this award.
A standout student-athlete from both the men’s and women’s soccer teams took home the Ontario University Athletics West divisional community service award.
For the women’s team, it was Claudia Continenza who took home the award for her work as a volunteer coach for club as well as high school level soccer teams in Hamilton. For the men’s team, Christian Cossidente was awarded for his efforts in the McMaster athletes care program. Cossidente participated in “Mac think pink”, which raised money for breast cancer research. He also supported the “Bell let’s talk” movement and many more similar initiatives. Cossidente winning the OUA West divisional community service award marks the fifth time in six years that a marauder from the men’s team has taken home the award.
Outside of these community service awards, the teams did well in terms of OUA West all-star placing. The men’s and women’s teams both had one player grace the All-star first-team, the team comprised of the very best players in the OUA West. Midfielder Anand Sergeant and women’s team captain Stephanie Roberts both attained their second appearance on the first team for the second year in a row.
The OUA West second team all-stars is where the performances of more marauders were recognized. Carling Goold and Hannah Chau-Stacey represented the women’s team, while Matthew Monteiro Yordan Stoyanov and Dusan Kovacevic made appearances on the men’s OUA West second team.
This year marks the final year of play for the captains of both the men’s and women’s teams: Stephanie Roberts and Yordan Stoyanov. Roberts was a powerhouse in the OUA West, leading the nation in goals last year. As previously mentioned, she was an OUA West first team all-star both last year and this year. Stoyanov had terrific on-field presence. Both will likely be greatly missed next year.
Even though it was an unfortunate end to the season, the marauders did not let down their community. The individual recognition for the all-star teams are high level achievements. Perhaps, the marauders nominated for all-star teams will jump into a bigger role next year for the maroon and grey.
Anand Sergeant is going into his third year on the men’s soccer team and is ready to build off of a highly successful campaign that he had the 2018-2019 season. Sergeant is one of the team’s top players and boasts an impressive resume. For his success on the field, he was named a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star.
With a large portion of the team in their second year and above, the players have a wealth of knowledge at their disposal. Their familiarity with the competitive level of play inherent in varsity athletics will continue to guide them in using their strengths to their advantage. Most importantly, the current roster is one that has grown together.
Anand Sergeant - Men's Soccer
Anand Sergeant (14) M
“I’m optimistic about our team this year. We have a group of players who have been around for a few years now, so we have more experience under our belts. I think that shows in games like yesterday’s against York, where the result wasn't what we wanted but . . . this year I really noticed a good composure amongst the whole team. I think that’s a sign that we’re maturing together. We have the players required for a deep playoff run,” said Sergeant.
Chemistry may play a large role in the team’s ability to succeed this year, many of the players have gotten to a point where they have a deep understanding of the nuances of each other’s game.
“Growing [up] with guys in your year and adjacent years, you get to know everyone's tendencies. I think that's really important when you go on the field together because it’s like [there is an] unspoken chemistry, [you can] communicate and work off the guys around you. I think that experience definitely means a lot to the team this year,” Sergeant said.
The team has its eyes set on gold as they strive to make it to the OUA championship and, hopefully, to the U Sports national championship as well.
“The ultimate goal for everyone is winning a championship, so there’s the OUA championship which would be massive to win, it's been a long time since McMaster has done that. Then the ultimate ultimate goal is the U sports national championship, which is in November and brings together the best teams from every conference,” said Sergeant.
Seeing as though Sergeant is a decorated and talented player, his role on the team naturally developed into a leadership role. Sergeant embraces this role and the challenges that come along with it. He spoke of how he was inspired by veteran players and their desire to lead the team.
From then on, he felt more of a responsibility to be a leader on his team. Due to his experience, he wants to be someone that other players on the team can look to for advice or answers to questions. He said that his ability to lead lies in his preparation, focus and performance.
Sergeant and the men’s soccer team are one to watch this year as they look forward to a great season and deep playoff run. You can catch their next game when they play the Brock Badgers on Sep. 14.
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