Written by Daniel Cudmore, December 3, 2022

Student-athletes around the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) have endured a lot in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  For Mohammad Alhaj Ali, the hard work and perseverance was worth it ahead of attending his first collegiate national championship this fall.

Alhaj Ali, from Daraa, Syria, is a striker for the Holland Hurricanes. He is in his second year at Holland College (Prince Edward Island) and studying in the Kinesiology program.

During the 2021 season, he was named to the ACAA 1^st All-Conference team and a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian. Although his season was a success based on individual accolades, his ultimate goal, of leading the Hurricanes to a conference championship win was sadly thwarted when the team fell to the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies in the ACAA championship match in penalty kicks.

In the spring of 2022, Alhaj Ali was further celebrated; being named the Hurricanes men’s soccer most valuable player, as well as the Holland Hurricanes male Athlete of the Year.

The heartbreak of defeat from the loss to STU in penalty kicks fueled Mohammad, as he was motivated again to lead the Hurricanes to a championship banner in 2022.

Fast forward to the fall of 2022 on Prince Edward Island.  Mohammad has spent the summer on the island, training, working and preparing for the upcoming ACAA season.  The Hurricanes go on to finish the regular season achieving second in the conference with a 6-3-3 record. Alhaj Ali scoring 15 goals in 11 matches, the top scorer in the conference.

In the playoffs, a 1-0 nail-biting semi-final victory over the University of King’s College (UKC) Blue Devils in overtime almost derailed the Hurricanes hopes of a conference title – but a Clay Kelly goal gave them hope as they advanced to take on the hosts, the number one seed, and the defending champions that defeated the ‘Canes in penalty kicks a year ago, the STU Tommies, in the ACAA Championship match.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Alhaj Ali dug deep early in the second half to tie the match in the 50^th minute.  A follow-up goal by Keisuke Masuda gave the ‘Canes a 2-1 lead and renewed optimism that the championship would be theirs - their first title since 2019 after previously having won six conference championships in a row.

The resilient Tommies showed why they were the top-ranked team during the regular season, scoring in the final minutes to tie the match 2-2, sending it to overtime, and eventually penalty kicks for the second straight year.

“We talked about this leading up to the match.  We didn’t want this to have to go to penalties, but if it did, we knew we had to be ready.  We trained leading up to the championship – specifically spending time working on our penalty kicks. It was scary though – we didn’t want to lose again in penalties.”

Alhaj Ali would confidently step up and score on his attempt.

“Because I was the first shooter, it was expected of me to put the team ahead. I looked at my teammates, my coaches, my family – I was doing this for them, they were relying on me.”

After seven shooters, the Holland Hurricanes would win the match and be crowned the ACAA Champions for the tenth time in the programs history (formed in 2006).

“It felt incredible, different from anything I’ve experienced before.  It was a big achievement for our team. We overcame issues all season long, things that most had no idea of.  We were mentally strong, we remained strong as a team – this was a big achievement for us.”

The Hurricanes would make the journey across the country to Langley, British Columbia for the 2022 CCAA National Championship hosted by the Langara College Falcons.  This would be Mohammad’s third nationals experience, having twice represented New Brunswick at the Canadian senior nationals, as well as representing PEI once.

“It was a long flight across the country and my number one fear came true. It took us longer than expected to adjust to the time change and nearly everyone on the team got sick. Those first few days we were not ourselves.”

A 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners, followed by a loss of 5-1 to the Nomades de Montmorency ended the ‘Canes hopes of a national medal; they would rebound with a solid 2-1 victory over Les Rouges do Sainte-Boniface to end the tournament in seventh position.

“The entire experience was very enjoyable.  The level of competition was very high, but I felt like our team belonged. Specifically I think Langara did a great job with the banquet portion of the event, interviewing many of the student-athletes on stage, we got to learn a little bit about some of the other players which was nice.”

Mohammad Alhaj Ali would finish his 2022 soccer season with the Hurricanes by once again being named to the ACAA 1^st All-Conference team and a CCAA All-Canadian; this year he added a new award to his trophy case, being named the ACAA Player of the Year.

Head coach, Jonathan Vos, has enjoyed seeing Mohammad develop as a player over the past two seasons.

“Mohammad is one of the most passionate players I have ever coached.  His talent level combined with his motivation makes him a dangerous player to any opponent.   His skillset makes him a threatening one-on-one player every time he touches the ball. He works hard every day and is a true competitor, as a leader he expects the same from his teammates. Mohammad played an integral part in the team this year and was a worthy recipient of the ACAA Player of the Year award and a CCAA All-Canadian.”

Director of Athletics and Recreation, Albert Roche, echoes Jonathan’s praise of Mohammad.

“From the moment Mohammad joined our team you could tell he was not only a driven student-athlete, but also extremely appreciative of the opportunity to play.  He pushes his teammates to train, compete and savor every experience.”

Nadine Moore, Athletics, Recreation and Facilities Coordinator for the Holland College Athletics Department, has also had the opportunity to work alongside Mohammad as the soccer liaison as well as supervising his employment at the McMillan Centre.

“Mohammad is an asset to have around both the Hurricanes soccer program and Holland College in general.  He is consistently working to improve not only his game, but also the greater game of soccer.  He is a counselor with our Canes Camp and uses his talents to teach soccer skills to budding athletes.  The children most definitely take to him and consider him a superstar.”

Mohammad has become a big part of the Holland College community – something he is thankful for since moving to Prince Edward Island.

“Coming here to Holland College and playing for the Hurricanes has given me hope for life, coming here as a refugee to Canada.  Coach Vos, Albert, Nadine, my instructors and the entire staff at Holland College have become a huge part of my life that I’m very thankful for.”

As Mohammad approaches the end of his Kinesiology program, his options remain open for 2023. His preference would be to remain at Holland College and continue with the Hurricanes as he has one big goal on his list that he’d like to check off.

“After attending the CCAA nationals, it’s motivated me to be better. I want to make history with the Hurricanes. I want to be the first team to win a men’s soccer national championship for the ACAA.”

To connect with the men’s soccer Hurricanes, visit www.twitter.com/canesmsoccer and www.instagram.com/canesmsoccer.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com,www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes and www.twitter.com/hc_hurricanes.

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