University of Toronto Athletics

With his team down in penalty kicks, goalkeeper John Smits kept the Varsity Blues season alive, making two huge saves in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Western Mustangs in OUA semi-final action on Saturday, November 7 at Varsity Centre. The win sent the Blues to the OUA final as well as securing a berth in the CIS men’s soccer championship next week in Langley, B.C.

 

With the game on the line, Smits stopped Western’s fifth shooter Mark Pocrnic to force sudden death penalty kicks in Saturday’s semifinal. After Toronto’s sixth shooter, Geoffrey Borgmann, scored to put the Blues up 5-4, Smits secured the victory and a trip to the national tournament as he dove to stop Western’s Michael Marcoccia.

 

The Mississauga, Ont. native made 13 saves over 240 minutes of play at the 2009 OUA men’s soccer final four championship this weekend. 

 

A fourth-year biology major, Smits also kept his team alive in the OUA final versus McMaster on Sunday, making four critical saves in the second half and three in overtime to force penalty kicks for the fourth time in as many games at the final four championship.