Campoli, Olatoye claim most valuable player honours for top regular season squads

Burlington, Ont. – After playing leading roles for their division-winning teams in the regular season, Ontario Tech's Christopher Campoli and York's Soji Olatoye further make their mark with most valuable player honours, headlining the award winners and all-stars from the 2022 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men's soccer season.

Most Valuable Player (East) – Christopher Campoli, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks



Helping to set a new standard for the Ontario Tech program on the pitch, Christopher Campoli takes home MVP honours for the OUA East Division.

The heartbeat of the Ridgebacks has been making waves since joining the team, and in his third year, he outdid himself even more to become the first player in Ontario Tech history to earn the MVP moniker. With 13 goals on the year, Campoli finished atop the conference therein, and with his potent production in-hand, became the new program leader in goals. With the previous Ridgebacks record set at 20, the Woodbridge, Ont. product notched his 21st goal on September 9th against Trent – just his 26th match with the team – as part of a magical weekend that also featured a four-goal game just two days later.

The 2021-22 Ontario Tech athlete of the year also chipped in with six assists on the season to lead the OUA, finishing with a conference-best 19 points overall while being held off the scoresheet just once. The all-star, who has twice been drafted in the U SPORTS-CPL Draft (York United, 2021; HFX Wanderers, 2022), was also a key contributor to the team's lofty regular season success on the year.

Most Valuable Player (West) – Soji Olatoye, York Lions



A standout from the regular season's top-ranked team, Soji Olatoye has been named 2022 OUA West Division MVP.

The decorated midfielder/forward from the York Lions capped off his varsity tenure with a season to remember. His campaign began with a bang, as he burst onto the 2022 stage with a brace in his team's opener against Windsor. While he would add just one more tally from there, his impact went well beyond goal scoring, even though his timely tallies led to two game-winners on the year.

Masterful with the ball, a terrific passer en route to three assists on the year (11th in OUA), and always able to make big plays for York, the senior psychology major was as impactful a player as there was for his team, and he buoyed them to another undefeated regular season.

The former OUA all-star and U SPORTS all-Canadian has continued to improve throughout his tenure with the Lions, and in capping off his fifth year with a player of the year nod, the Brampton, Ont. product becomes the 10th student-athlete in program history to accomplish the feat.

Rookie of the Year (East) – Tadiji Vukas, Toronto Varsity Blues



Making his mark quickly in the midfield, Toronto's Tadiji Vukas earns the 2022 OUA East Division rookie of the year award.

Vukas showcased his skill in a big way for the Blues this season, standing out as one of the team's top players in his first year with the group. He started 10 of the 11 games he appeared in this season, and while he didn't boast much of a presence on the scoresheet by nature of his position, he controlled the central midfield with authority, even in his foray to the varsity scene. The Toronto, Ont. local studying engineering was also effective in transition in both directions for Toronto this season and was a big part in helping his squad surrender just eight goals during the season (T4th in OUA).

Since the turn of the century, Vukas becomes the fourth Varsity Blues freshman to take home top rookie honours and the first since Yousef Helmy did so in 2015.

Rookie of the Year (West) – James Arango, Waterloo Warriors



For a second straight season, the top rookie from the OUA West Division wears the black and gold.

James Arango, a first-year forward for Waterloo, joins teammate and 2022 all-star Matheus Mello as now back-to-back recipients of the rookie award. The fantastic forward featured heavily in the team's offensive production, ranking second on the Warriors with eight goals (T4th in OUA). While it was a quick start for Arango thanks to his three goals and five points in his two debut tilts, it was an equally impressive home stretch. The Mississauga, Ont. native finished with five goals and seven points in the team's final four games, and capped off his debut campaign with 13 points total (T2nd in OUA).

The recreation and leisure student has shown he can drive the offence, and beyond his scoring touch, he is also an incredible ball handler that is poised for a promising future with the Warriors.

Coach of the Year (East) – Ramin Mohammadi, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks



Beyond boasting the division's top player, the Ridgebacks were also the top team in the OUA East, with 2022 coach of the year Ramin Mohammadi guiding the group from the sidelines.

Mohammadi led his team to the best record in program history and the top spot in the conference's competitive East Division. With an 11-1 mark on the year, and the only blemish coming against the championship-bound TMU Bold, Ontario Tech was a mainstay among the national ranks. Backed by top seven marks in goals scored (27; 7th in OUA), assists (20; 3rd in OUA), and shot percentage (.243; 5th in OUA), the Ridgebacks were armed with a potent offence, but they also collected eight clean sheets on the year to put them second in that regard.

The Durham, Ont. local, who adds to the program's list of firsts this season with their debut appearance on the coach of the year list, boasts an extensive background in coaching high-performance athletes provincially and at the collegiate level, helping lead his squad to five all-star selections this season. While having joined the Ridgebacks initially for their inaugural season, he also spent five seasons with the TMU women's program as an associate coach and time with Ontario Soccer as a manger of player development.

Coach of the Year (West) – Carmine Isacco, York Lions



Helping to guide the West Division's MVP and company was the corresponding coach of the year, Carmine Isacco.

Under Isacco's watch in 2022, the Lions once again came through the regular season slate without a loss, a feat they have now accomplished in three of the last four seasons. The team's only regular season blemish during that stretch came at the hands of Ontario Tech on September 15, 2021.

En route to the division's top seed and the top ranking in the country for much of the season, the Lions pounced in front of the OUA pack in scoring with 41 goals on the year, peppering the opposition with a second-best 14.1 shots per game. While they are potent offensively, they also provided a stiff test defensively, racking up a league-best nine clean sheets on the year, surrendering just four goals in their 12 games.

Like the team he leads, the veteran coach is no stranger to winning. The award marks the eighth time Isacco has claimed the OUA's divisional honour, which ties him for most all-time in York's history (Merv Mosher). The Toronto, Ont. native is also a two-time U SPORTS coach of the year and four time recipient at the school level.

Community Service Award (East) – Deven Doodnath, Nipissing Lakers



On and off the field, Deven Doodnath has been a leader, and his all-around efforts have helped him be win the 2022 OUA East Division community service award.

Providing stability on the back line as well as leadership as one of the team's captains, Doodnath has been a fixture for the Nipissing Lakers team, but his impact extends beyond soccer as well.

The fifth-year senior is the Director of Community Relations for NUBASE (Nipissing University Black Association for Student Expression), focusing on creating initiatives that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion on campus and in the North Bay community. The education major is also a volunteer with the North Bay Support Group for Black and Brown People, has started and runs the men's health initiative on campus, and assists with the support services for varsity athletes.

Community Service Award (West) – Justin Joseph, Waterloo Warriors



Positively representing his team and university beyond the field, Justin Joseph has been tabbed as the 2022 OUA community service award recipient in the West Division.

A conscientious student who has represented the University of Waterloo in many ways, Joseph has set a terrific example as to what it means to be a student-athlete. In successfully balancing both parts of that role, the second-year honour mechatronics engineering student from Mississauga, Ont. has taken part in numerous academic competitions and has maintained a position on the President's Academic Honour Roll at the university as well.

Not only was the sophomore centreback the team's first recruit for the 2021 season, but by making his mark both on and off the pitch since that time, has become the first Warriors play to earn the conference recognition as well.

The complete list of 2022 OUA men's soccer award winners and all-stars is as follows:

Most Valuable Player (East) – Christopher Campoli, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Most Valuable Player (West) – Soji Olatoye, York Lions
Rookie of the Year (East) – Tadiji Vukas, Toronto Varsity Blues
Rookie of the Year (West) – James Arango, Waterloo Warriors
Coach of the Year (East) – Ramin Mohammadi, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Coach of the Year (West) – Carmine Isacco, York Lions
Community Service-Award (East) – Deven Doodnath, Nipissing Lakers
Community Service-Award (West) – Justin Joseph, Waterloo Warriors

First Team All-Stars (East)
Goalkeeper – Gabriel Pastore, Nipissing
Defender – Jacob Begley, Ontario Tech
Defender – Christopher Malekos, Carleton
Defender – Tyrell Chambers, Nipissing
Defender – Christian Westlaken, TMU
Midfielder – Christopher Campoli, Ontario Tech
Midfielder – Scott Mazzotta, Carleton
Midfielder – Jack Collins, Nipissing
Midfielder – Luca Piccioli, Carleton
Striker – Justin Irwin, Ontario Tech
Striker – Luca Di Marco, TMU

First Team All-Stars (West)
Goalkeeper – Taylor Miskolczi, Brock
Defender – Luka Frankovich, Waterloo
Defender – Colin Gander, Guelph
Defender – Milo Djuricic, York
Midfielder – Jack Sears, Guelph
Midfielder – Isaac Bradbury, York
Midfielder – Matheus Mello, Waterloo
Midfielder – Daniel Oshana, Western
Striker – Miles Green, McMaster
Striker – Soji Olatoye, York
Striker – Kevin Espiro, Waterloo

Second Team All-Stars (East)
Goalkeeper – Matthew Mattila, Ontario Tech
Defender – Nick Alie Day, Queen's
Defender – Ainsley Bryan, Trent
Defender – Kai Martin, TMU
Defender – Anthony White, Toronto
Midfielder – Juan Pablo Delgadillo, TMU
Midfielder – Trivine Esprit, Ontario Tech
Midfielder – Nicolas Patenaude, Laurentian
Midfielder – Shon Siegelwachs, Toronto
Striker – Andrea Gortana, Queen's
Striker – Henry Gagnon, RMC

Second-Team All-Stars (West)
Goalkeeper – Ethan Cagalj, McMaster
Defender – Brandon Miranjie, Western
Defender – Victor Kariuki, Brock
Defender – Perry Zorbas, Waterloo
Defender – Ahmad Mansour, McMaster
Midfielder – Nikolas Antolcic, Waterloo
Midfielder – Gianluca Spadafora, McMaster
Midfielder – Joe Mac, York
Striker – Jamu Iluya, Western
Striker – Sebastian Guerrieri, Waterloo
Striker – Devin Hernandez, Windsor