Ontario Cup action a blast from the past for young centre

For the majority of the young soccer players who made their way up to Sudbury on Saturday, the trip was exciting enough, with an Ontario Cup semi-final encounter awaiting them upon their arrival.

For Robert Krueger, the trek was extra special.

The 14-year-old centre attacking midfielder with Glen Shields FC U14 boys out of Concord, Ont. was making a return to the James Jerome Sports Complex where his soccer talents were initially honed, competing as a member of the GSSC, working closely with then regional coach Brian Ashton.

For an event that assembled a dozen of the top teams across Ontario in the Nickel City, Krueger would offer one of the few local connections.
Ironically, the former Greater Sudbury resident had to rely on his teammates to create this experience for him.

"I was actually in Italy when my team was playing against the Brampton Blast," said Krueger. It was a 2-1 win, over the Blast, in the Ontario Cup U14 boys quarter-final that earned Glen Shields their journey north.

Unfortunately, the Sudbury stop was the end of the line for Krueger and company, dropping a 3-2 decision to Oakville SC.

"The key things, for us, were not to put the ball in the air, and keep possession, which did not happen at all," noted Krueger. "We did the complete opposite."

With all of the scoring in the opening half, tallies from Raine Lyn, Jovan Bal and Zen Sharifabadi offset goals from the Glen Shields tandem of Lucas Ferreira and Brayden Fraser, propelling Oakville to the Cup final next month.

Though the outcome on Saturday may not have been positive, the same cannot be said for the experience Krueger has garnered, immersing himself in the soccer hot-bed that is the GTA.

"The one thing I've improved in is the speed of play," he said. "Going from Sudbury to Toronto, it's a whole new level, and I've had to adapt to it."

As a centre forward, Krueger often receives the ball in the midst of a great deal of traffic, with precious little time available to decide upon his next move.

"It's really just chemistry with my teammates, and checking my shoulders to see where everyone is," said Krueger, who will return to the practice pitch with his teammates on Monday.

The 3-2 battle looked to be the most competitive match of the day, for most of the afternoon. Epic FC Toronto booked their spot opposite Oakville with a 4-0 win over SC Toronto Yellow, as the winners vaulted to a 3-0 lead midway through the opening half.

Michael Washington, Ronaldo Marshall, Salvatorre Mazzaferro and Carson Larabie handled the offense for Epic.

The North London Galaxy U15 girls looked equally as impressive in recording a 3-0 triumph over Ottawa South United Force, with Victoria Kyriakopoulos leading the charge with a two-goal effort.

Claire Monyard rounded out the scoring, catching a direct kick from some thirty yards out to perfection. Edge of your seat drama, however, awaited those who stayed until the end, as the final game went to penalty kicks, with the Stoney Creek Battalion squeezing past the Woodbridge Strikers 1-1 (4-3).

Action resumes on Saturday with the Open Men's semi-finals, with London Croatia facing Mississauga Portofino, and Scarborough Wexford Hi-Profile attempting to dethrone 2014 champion London Marconi.