CCAA Hall of Fame Inductee: Andrew DaSilva
Andrew DaSilva, a two-time Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian from Humber College, will be inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame in the Athlete Category.
DaSilva led the Humber Hawks to a bronze medal at the 2010 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship in Edmonton, AB. He was also named to the CCAA All-Tournament team.
“I remember hoping that when/if I ever competed at the CCAA level it would feel more prestigious and feel as though I was at a higher level,” said DaSilva. “It definitely did not disappoint as the tournament organization, attention to detail, and overall level of competition was like no other and something I will always remember.”
With the college soccer season being relatively short, it can take time for teams to gel and create that special bond, but DaSilva fondly recalls how it all came together for the Hawks at the CCAA Championships that November.
“I felt as though we had made it to Nationals off of just sheer talent,” said DaSilva. “But once we arrived everyone’s mind set changed, the dressing room went from a bunch of players with talent to a bunch of players who were ready to put it all on the line for each other, and it was a beautiful thing.”
In addition to earning CCAA All-Canadian status in 2008 and 2009, DaSilva was named the 2009 CCAA Men’s Soccer Player of the Year.
“To me when it comes to college sports the CCAA is the pinnacle of any achievement whether it be team or individual,” said DaSilva. “The CCAA has always provided me with the motivation to strive for something that I dreamed of and one day hoped to achieve.”
DaSilva made an immediate impact when he joined the Hawks in 2008, leading the division in scoring with 12 goals in 11 matches. The next season, he moved from striker back to his natural spot in the midfield, leading Humber to an undefeated 11-0-1 regular season – becoming just the second player in program history to earn CCAA Player of the Year honours.
In his final year, he helped the Hawks capture the program’s sixth Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) title before winning CCAA bronze – Humber’s first national podium finish in nine seasons.
DaSilva was named Humber’s Male Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 season.
“Andrew was a coach’s dream, highly talented, had the ability to make his teammates better, the desire and drive to win and carry his team on his shoulders when needed,” said Jason Mesa, a former player and current assistant coach of the Men’s Soccer team at Humber.
DaSilva was a natural leader on and off the field and very few players had the type of impact that he did, according to Mesa.
“His ability to change the outcome of a game with a moment of brilliance struck fear in many of his opponents,” he said. “Andrew not only helped Humber win games; he helped changed the culture of the program and laid the foundation of success the program carries today.”
DaSilva, who has his No. 23 jersey honoured with the Hawks, was inducted into the Humber Varsity Hall of Fame in 2011 and the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2017.
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
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