St. Bens boys come from behind to win NOSSA soccer title

It was only a matter of time. With a strong wind at their backs, the Chippewa Raiders had the four-time NOSSA "A" champion St. Benedict Bears in a game, as the North Bay crew trailed the local squad 1-0 at the half.

But once the switch of ends occurred, the St. Benedict powerhouse pulled away, adding three more tallies in the second half in posting a 4-0 win.

Brandon Moxam and Noah Stargratt scored two goals apiece for the Bears during the May 29 game, while Connor Vande Weghe and Anthony Cimino shared the shutout, the latter coming on in the later stages, with St. Benedict holding a four-goal advantage.

With the likes of Moxam and current Cambrian striker Shawn Wilcox in the lineup the past few years, much has been made of the Bears' offensive prowess, following a tradition that dates back to the likes of Joey Martellacci and Michael Marcantognini.

But the St. Benedict defense has been equally as stellar this year, surrendering but two goals in six regular season games and posting three consecutive shutouts through the playoffs.

"It’s our goalie, number one, Connor (Vande Weghe)," said rookie outside fullback Anthony Zilio. "He’s pretty much our MVP back there – he stops everything. And our two center backs (Cody Nkongolo and Jonathan Zanini), they really anchor the back."

Despite hitting the 45-minute break with a cushion of just a single goal to play with, Zilio insisted the team was far from panic mode as they prepared for the second half.

"The coaches told us to just keep playing," said Zilio. "Once we had the wind, we were going to get more opportunities. We just needed to capitalize when we get the chance."

With the win, the Bears will now make a fifth straight appearance at the OFSAA "A Championships, heading to North Bay later this week.

While this year represents his first experience under head coach Giuseppe Politi, Zilio noted that he did not take long to realize what the man in charge brings to the table. "He's a great coach," said Zilio. "He gets us all together and gets us working as a team. There’s no one better at it."

The 2015 St Benedict Bears sport a roster of Connor Vande Weghe, Anthony Cimino, Josh Girolametto, Jonathan Zanini, Cody Nkongolo, Anthony Zilio, Alex Cholewinsky, Alain Huneault, Alex Cimino, Josh Rancourt, Brandon Moxam, Gianfranco Carniel, Nick Hechler, Chase Pressacco, Adrian Apan, Sam Bortolus, Ryan Phillips, Noah Stargratt, Cody Boyle, Kevin McLelland, Blake Tilson, Curtis Carpino, Jacob Burton and coaches Giuseppe Politi and Giorgio Urso.

The Bears were one of three local teams to punch their tickets to the provincial playdowns, with a pair of girls squads doing the same in North Bay. The St. Charles Cardinals girls team cruised to a 5-0 win over the Widdifield Wildcats in the NOSSA "AAA" Girls final, as Sarah Mulvenna paced the attack with a pair of goals.

Siobhan Dzuirban, Aymie Holata and Emma Dionne scored once each, with Allison McLean recording the shutout. Meanwhile, the Marymount Regals rode a three-goal effort from Chantae Robinson, trimming the Algonquin Barons 3-2 in the NOSSA "A" Girls final.

The Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes were unable to complete a Sudbury sweep in the Gateway City, falling 4-1 to the St. Mary's Knights of Sault Ste Marie. Courtney Sauvé scored the only goal for CND, pouncing on the rebound of a strike from Brianne Rodrigue.

In Sudbury, the Notre-Dame boys were eliminated in the "AA" semi-finals, edged 2-1 by the Superior Heights Steelhawks. Earl Gibbs and Quinten Grimm scored for the winners, while Eric Sampson countered in a losing cause.

In the remaining semi-final, Widdifield blanked the Macdonald-Cartier Panthères 4-0, as Troy Charman, Tristan Landry, Kove Marasco and Troy McLuhan all found the back of the net.

Superior Heights would move on to capture the NOSSA banner later in the afternoon, posting a 3-0 whitewash over Widdifield, courtesy of goals from Cody Brideaux, Aidan McBurney and Kristian Shuttleworth. The junior boys "AAA" final would see the St. Joseph Scollard Hall Bears (North Bay) upend the St Charles Cardinals 3-1, with Dylan Simon enjoying a two-goal performance for the winners.

Jacob Wall rounded out the scoring, while Jacob Kruk answered for the Cardinals. Finally, the St. Mary's Knights picked up their second banner of the day when the junior boys team outgunned Widdifield 3-1, laying claim to the NOSSA "AAA" banner.

OFSAA tournaments in all divisions will run from June 4-6.