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The Greater Sudbury Soccer Club (GSSC) U-11 Impact Scorpions are ready for the next level. After playing a handful of tournaments in the north and showing well, the local boys upped the ante earlier this month in Grimsby.
A combination of nerves and "southern Ontario awe" came into play in the opening game as the Kitchener Spirit displayed a deadly passing game, cruising to a 5-0 victory despite solid efforts on the back line from both Noah Caufield and Sebastien Bouchard.
With the adjustment grace period done, Sudbury bounced back to register a 4-1 win over the Stoney Creek Battalion as Jonathon Tullio paced the attack with a pair of goals. Andrew Prince and Austin Pawluk rounded out the scoring for the northern Ontario crew.
The Impact Scorpions displayed some resiliency in game three, fighting back from a two-goal deficit and netting a pair of markers in the final 10 minutes to earn a draw against the host Grimsby Griffins.
Michael Laliberte and Griffin Simpson found the back of the net for Sudbury, as the team continued to gain confidence with every passing game.
A quick start in game four proved particularly helpful as the locals blanked the Barrie Spirit 2-0. The shutout netminding of Connor Trainor helped backstop the team to victory, with Robert Krueger and Pawluk handling the offence for the young team.
Despite a solid 2-1-1 record, the Scorpions finished tied with Grimsby for second place and were eliminated from the finals due to a goal differential. Kitchener went on to claim gold, handily defeating Grimsby 11-0 in the finals.
"The team played very well throughout the tournament, despite the sweltering heat and short bench," coach Wayne Trainor said.
Posted by Laurel Myers
