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Soccer update: U16 Celtic close to locking up 1st place

The SDSC (Sudbury District Soccer Club) Celtic U14 Boys have taken their lumps this season, but a recent weekend homestand showed signs of increased competitiveness.
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Catch up with three GSSC and SDSC soccer clubs who were in action last week. Soccer fans can catch Ontario Cup action at James Jerome Sports Complex this weekend. File photo.

The SDSC (Sudbury District Soccer Club) Celtic U14 Boys have taken their lumps this season, but a recent weekend homestand showed signs of increased competitiveness.

The Celtic picked up a win and two losses, squandering a 2-0 lead late in their second game with Barrie, and dropping a 3-2 decision that would have lifted the squad to a better than .500 mark in the three game set.

The SDSC crew started well, beating Huntsville 3-1 on Saturday morning as Gio Mastroianni scored twice, with Nikolas Donato adding a solo tally.

The Celtic looked well on their way to a second straight win just a few hours later, as Mastroianni netted the only goal of the opening half versus Barrie, adding an insurance marker on a breakaway midway through the second session.

But a Barrie tally off a goalmouth scrable opened the floodgates for the visitors, and before the locals could stem the tide, Aiden Shehata, Tanikan Hartley and Dante Timpano had all found the back of the net in the frantic come-from-behind victory.

"Near the end, we started shelling at the back," said Sudbury keeper Connor Trainor. "Everybody was dropping back. We couldn't clear the ball enough, and they were getting free shots."

Playing their second game of the day, the U14 boys were unable to finish off the encounter in the same fashion they had done opposite Huntsville. "We defended much better in that game," said Trainor. "The clearances were out to the side."

Still, after struggling to hit the win column earlier in the year, and bounced emphatically by a second Barrie team that is head and shoulders better than any other in this loop, the fact that the games are now being determined late in the second half is a sure sign of progress.

"We're not getting down on ourselves,"said central defender Noah Caufield. "At the start of the season, we would get down on ourselves really quickly. We're clearing the ball more quickly, and better."

"We just try and get it over the defender's head, and see if Gio can run to it."

The SDSC Celtic finished off the weekend with a 4-1 loss to Collingwood, with Sebastien Bouchard picking up the only goal for Sudbury.

U14 Impact Girls

The Sudbury GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) U14 Impact Girls might not have been able to produce one last push to climb further up the CGSL (Central Girls Soccer League) standings last weekend, but that doesn't take away from a second solid season, matching up with top talent from across the province.

Finishing their regular season play with a pair of home games, the Impact fell to an improving Leaside Wildcats side by a final count of 2-0, with Gabriela Queiroz and Julia Selfe handling the offense for the visitors.

Pitted against the first place crew from Whitby on Sunday afternoon, the Sudbury girls held a 1-0 lead at the half, as Aliesha Spourdalakis pounced all over the rebound of a strike from Madison Laberge.

Unfortunately, the Whitby crew pressured early and often in the second half, rewarded with goals from both Allyson Garnett and Maya Ganhao.

While Sudbury did counter nicely over the final 15-20 minutes of the match, quality chances were not to be, as the Impact finished their season with a record of 6-4-4, good for fourth place in the eight team loop.

"We've all developed as players and gotten better," said Cassidy Burton, the anchor of the Sudbury defensive back-line. "Our biggest thing we need to work on is possession. I think we also need to bond a little more as a team."

"To me, the strongest teams are the ones that are like a family."

Burton has been a familiar face as a central defender with this unit, having made the move a few years back after initially suiting up as a striker in her youth.

"One game, a girl got hurt so I had to move back," Burton said. "I really liked it. It gives me the power to know that I can stop other teams."

An imposing physical presence, Burton is also typically the "voice" of the final line of defense, directly ahead of keeper Korey Bodson.

"I like to talk," she said with a smile, seemingly something of a family trait that she shares with her older brother. "When you're mad, you have to remember to let it out in a positive manner. But that's a role I like."

"Me and my partner, Mackenzie (Watkins), will banter back and forth."

The Impact girls are not ready, quite yet, to put away the cleats for the season. On the weekend of Sept. 19-20 the team will be in Port Perry for the CGSL Cup quarter-finals, in for a tough battle against Aurora, leaders in the "Maroon Division" with a record of 10-1-0.

U16 Celtic Boys

On the road, the SDSC Celtic U16 Boys more or less guaranteed themselves first place in the Huronia District Soccer League, picking up two victories in three games last weekend.

The northern lads got the ball rolling with a 1-0 win over Huntsville as captain Jacxsen Cress registered the only goal of the contest, with Fillipo Mazza garnering the clean slate in net for Sudbury.

Facing Bracebridge in a physical encounter later in the day, the Celtic jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of a pair of strikes from scoring ace Kevin Rojas. The homeside got one back before the half, with things getting particularly interesting late in the game.

Sudbury keeper Kiel Cress was whistled for a foul inside the 18-yard box, leading to a penalty kick for Bracebridge, which he promptly turned aside, ensuring the 2-1 win for the Celtic.

The battle, however, had taken its toll, with starters Sam Bortolus and Ben Lagadin both sidelined Sunday versus Collingwood. Despite goals from Jacxsen Cress and Noah LaSorsa, coach Peter Trainor and company dropped a 3-2 decision.

Still, with an eight point lead over Collingwood, the U16 Celtic need only a single point from a pair of home games against the second place squad when they meet in Sudbury for double-header action on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Game On - Ontario Cup Soccer

Though none of the local rep teams are in action this coming weekend, local fans of the beautiful game are in for a real treat, with six Ontario Cup semi-final encounters slated for the James Jerome Sports Complex. Here is full schedule of games:

Saturday, August 29th

11:00 a.m. - Glen Shields FC vs Oakville SC - U14 Boys

1:00 p.m. - Toronto Yellow vs Epic FC Toronto - U14 Boys

3:00 p.m. - Ottawa South United vs North London Galaxy - U15 Girls

5:00 p.m. - Stoney Creek Battalion vs Woodbridge Strikers - U15 Girls

Sunday, August 30th

1:00 p.m. - Mississauga Portofino vs London Croatia - Men's

3:00 p.m. - Scarborough Wexford Hi-Profile vs London Marconi
 


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