Fiery play pays off for Alouettes boys' soccer squad

Throughout much of their semi-final Monday night against the St. Charles College Cardinals, the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes boys soccer team played with fire. Somehow, they managed not to get burned.

Despite dominating play territorially for noticeable stretches of time, the Cards were forced to extra time after playing to a 1-1 draw with CND in ninety minutes of regulation action.

Aidan Martel scored for St. Charles, with Sebastien Dugas-Ruest answering for Notre-Dame. A pair of 10-minute overtime sessions solved nothing, with the drama of penalty kicks needed to decide the second finalist for the SDSSAA banner.

After two shooters apiece (of five), the Cardinals held a 2-0 edge, with many believing the contest was done. But the Alouettes stormed back to score on three straight attempts, forcing a sixth shooter.

A third St. Charles miss in their last four attempts — this one directly off the crossbar — would give the Alouettes a 2-1 (4-3) win, and a date with the two-time defending champion St. Benedict Bears.

Coach Giuseppe Politi and company efficiently disposed of the Macdonald-Cartier Panthères by a final count of 3-0, with Gianfranco Carniel, Brandon Moxam and Josh Rancourt scoring in support of keeper Connor Vande Weghe, recording the shutout.

In girls open action, the Marymount Regals surprised the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes 3-2, as the winners advance to face St. Charles on Wednesday in the city final.

Heading to join the Laurentian Voyageurs in the fall, Chantae Robinson scored twice for Marymount, with Sidney Smith netting the other.

Brianne Rodrigue scored both goals for the Alouettes, and will join Robinson at L.U. come September.

The SDSSAA soccer finals are currently set for 5 and 7 p.m. at the James Jerome Complex, though with NOSSA day one track & field action slated to start Wednesday afternoon in Sturgeon Falls, there have been rumblings of possible changes in dates and/or times.