The Lockerby Vikings and St. Charles College Cardinals boys soccer teams have long proven their proficiency on the pitch. Now it's time to put their mathematical abilities to the test.
Christopher Rossi scored the only goal of the game in the second half Thursday afternoon at Lockerby Composite, as the Cards edged the Vikes 1-0 in the final regular season game in the SDSSAA Boys Premier Division.
The result left Lockerby, St. Charles and Lo-Ellen all tied in second place with a record of 3-2, trailing the undefeated St. Benedict Bears at 5-0. With the top two teams earning a first-round playoff bye, this win by St. Charles and the results of the tie-breaker will be key come the post-season, with quarter-final play beginning next Thursday.
The victory also snapped a two-game losing skid for the 2011 city champs, providing a much-needed boost, according to the offensive hero of the game.
"We came in this year expecting to defend our city championship," Rossi said. "We got off to a good start, getting to the semifinals and losing in a shootout at the Don Mills Tournament. Then we came back and had some struggles.
"Communication was key," he added. "Without communication, we were just giving the ball away and giving the other team chances, where we wanted to create our own chances and control the play."
He said he thought the team played well against the Vikings.
"In the first half, we didn't give them many chances and in the second half, with the wind, we finally buried one."
The 2012 campaign seemed a little different for the Cardinals, missing the very familiar presence of long-time coach John Sikora along the sidelines. Sikora is currently in Europe, having volunteered to help out with the 2012 UEFA Champions League Tournament for the past several weeks.
"He's a great coach and he can help us a lot on the little things," Rossi said. "We miss him."
Carrying on the impressive St. Charles soccer tradition is his long-time coaching partner Lloyd Rebeiro, looking to welcome Sikora back to Sudbury with a second straight SDSSAA crown.
In other high school soccer action on Thursday, the Confederation Chargers girls secured fourth place in the Premier Division, blanking the Lo-Ellen Park Knights 1-0 while the Sacré-Coeur Griffons boys team created a first-place showdown on Tuesday, outscoring the Chelsmford Flyers 3-0 last night.
The Espanola Spartans hold down first place atop the SDSSAA Boys Second Division grouping with a record of 5-0-1, one point ahead of Sacré-Coeur at 5-1-0. The teams go head-to-head on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Mill Town, with playoff action in all four divisions set to start next Thursday.
Posted by Laurel Myers
