Impact men start the season on the right foot

The GSSC Impact U21 men kicked off their season on a winning note, edging the Bradford & District Wolves 2-1 in Ontario Soccer League (OSL) action Saturday evening in Sudbury.

Shawn Wilcox scored once in each half to put the locals up 2-0, though things got really interesting when Angelo Burgess cut the deficit to a single goal late in the game.

"The last 20 minutes of that game, they were really pressuring," said back-up Sudbury keeper Connor Vande Weghe.

He should know. With injuries and prior commitments taking their toll, Vande Weghe was pressed into action.

"They got that one goal, they got some momentum, but we held them off,” he said. “Everyone had each others' back. If one guys made a mistake, someone else was ready to back him up."

A talented multi-sport athlete who excelled with both the St. Benedict football and hockey teams in addition to the Bears soccer powerhouse, Vande Weghe provides some wonderful flexibility for head coach Ed Veilleux.

"Over the past three seasons, every second game, I'm on the bench," noted Vande Weghe. "So if we need bodies, I can help out. I play anywhere up front, mostly because that keeps the damage to a minimum. If I lose the ball, I lose it to their defenders, which is OK."

The seventeen year-old keeper is heading to Laurentian in the fall, anxious to take a shot at cracking the varsity lineup.

"It's 100-per-cent angles, every inch counts, getting that extra finger to the ball. That's just going to come with playing more games, getting more experience."

The Bradford crew arrived in town with one local connection, as left fullback Imho Traore played from start to finish. The younger brother of McGill Redmen basketball senior Tiye Traore, Imho had played with coach Nick Mancini and company for a few years before heading south last summer.

The U21 lads will also enjoy one weekend off, though their next action is back at home. On June 6 and June 7, Impact plays host to Barrie SC and the Whitby Iroquois, with both games scheduled for Queen's Athletic Field.