Sudbury's U17 boys really know how to make an Impact

The Sudbury (GSSC) Impact U17 men appear ready to challenge the big boys. With a couple of weeks remaining until the start of their Canadian Soccer League (CSL) season, the locals were red hot in pre-season play, capturing the Frank Sobil Oshawa Kicks Spring Classic this past weekend.

The Impact received a pair of first half goals from Eric Sampson in the final, edging the Southend Sonics, a London-based Level 3 team, 2-0 in the championship affair.

Newcomer and Sault Ste. Marie-native Kristian Shuttleworth made his presence felt right off the hop, scoring twice in the opening game, as Sudbury and the Aurora Stingers played to a 2-2 draw.

Hooking up with the team after playing with St. Charles College at a high school tournament, Aiden Martel netted the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over the Leaside Tigers, with Hunter Adams recording the shutout for the Impact.

The team survived a quarter-final scare, slipping past Ajax FC White 2-1 as North Bay native Bryce McIntyre joined Martel on the scoresheet. In their second of three games on Sunday, the Impact tamed the Tigers for a second straight time, recording a 3-1 win on goals from McIntyre, Shuttleworth and Isaac Oliveira.