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Needing a pair of victories to capture the regular-season ACAC title, they outhustled the Concordia Thunder 3-1 on Saturday to grab first place and then consolidated their position with a 4-0 triumph one day later. The major values of finishing first are the opening-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the final.

NAIT created some early pressure and took control with physical play. James Carr made the quick start pay off with a header in the 35th minute, shortly before Osmond Samura broke in on the left side and completed a spectacular effort with a hard shot to the near side.

Knowing that Concordia was still competitive, the Ooks continued their heavy effort after the break and collected their clinching goal within four minutes. The Ooks backed off only slightly and Concordia rallied to end the shutout but it was not enough to reverse the early tide.

The Ooks scored in the 24th minute when Shane Faria slid the ball into the left side. They pressed throughout the second half and were rewarded on goals by Samura, Nick Shapka and Evans Asembia.

Coach Jeff Paulus described Carr as a tower of strength. He and Scott McLeod made it difficult for any player to invade the centre of the defensive formation. "As the season has gone on, James has grown with each outing and plays the game like a four-year veteran, not the rookie that he is."