The Marymount Regals (girls) and Sacré-Coeur Griffons (boys) just kept getting better and better.

By the time the SDSSAA Division II soccer championships rolled around earlier this week, there was simply no stopping them as both squads registered victories by the identical score of 3-0, claiming what are, to the best of my knowledge, the final city high-school banners to be doled out this year.

After earning a draw in their opening two games and dropping their third encounter due to a forfeit (lack of players), the Regals got their game on track, keeping clear of the loss column for the balance of the season and blanking the Lively Hawks in the semis (1-0) and the Champlain Requins in the gold medal affair.

“We had a rough start,” acknowledged 15 year old Mya Massimiliano, the offensive spark plug with the city champs, netting her team’s first two strikes of the day. “At the indoor centre (pre season tournament), we didn’t do so well. We had to practice in the gym most of the (early) season which is hard because we have such a small gym.”

“It’s different from on the field.”

With a lineup that covered almost the entire spectrum imaginable of local soccer talent, from those who had rarely set foot on a ball to the more GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) inclined folks like Massimiliano, the smallish-rostered Regals (15 girls in all) progressed nicely over the course of just eight weeks or so.

“At the start of the year, we were more ping pong, back and forth, but at the end, we were making short passes, give and goes,” said Massimiliano. “We learned how to play more technical, with skill.”

Still, the Requins kept things close until midway through the opening half, with Massimilano awarded a penalty kick - which she quickly converted - and the adding a second goal on a deft one touch into the far corner of the net.

“I think I was around the top of the box,” Massimiliano recalled of her second marker. “It was a rainy day and I know the ball will skid a lot on the field (turf), so I was trying to shoot low that game. I was aiming for that corner and luckily got it in.”

Rounding out the scoring for Marymount was senior Julia MacDonald, also on a penalty kick, enjoying the opportunity to cherish her final game in style, with Katie Polischuk registering the shutout for the Regals.

After playing in three straight one goal affairs to open their schedule, the Sacré-Coeur Griffons truly found their game, finding the back of the net with regularity all while shutting things down in a big way when it came to opposing strikers and such.

It all culminated with a 3-0 win on Monday over the Macdonald-Cartier Pantheres as the Griffons captured their first SDSSAA Division II boys soccer crown since 2015.

“We started dominating on the field,” said senior centerback Liam Love, the 17 year old who opened the scoring for the Griffons in the opening half, with Elie Yoma adding a pair in the second half to give Sacré-Coeur a great deal of breathing room.

“I feel that we were more organized, a lot better defensively this year than last,” he added, his team surrendering just one goal against in their final three outings, a stretch which included a 3-1 semi-final triumph over the Sudbury Secondary North Stars. “The midfield plays a pretty big role in helping the defense.”

“People coming back to give us extra support and closing into the middle when we don’t have the ball helps a lot.”

Far more focused on preventing goals than scoring them, Love was pleasantly surprised when his direct kick from a good 40 yards out glanced off an opponent and floated directly into the net.

“I was just trying to cross the ball into the box, trying to send it in and get someone else to get a head on it - but it bounced off the other team’s head and went in, so it worked out,” noted the young man who will study within the Sports Administration program at Laurentian University.

After being saddled with setbacks in their first two encounters of the year, the GSSC U15 Impact Boys were intent on taking it to the Etobicoke Youth, receiving goals from six different scorers in chalking up a 6-1 victory last weekend.

Striking paydirt for the local crew were Alfarouq Alzawi, Donald Munyua, Joshua Rioux, Lukas Morin, Maksim Beljo and Masimo Toffoli, with team taking to the road this coming weekend to battle North York Academy and the Toronto Azzurri.

The U17 Impact Boys improved their season mark in the Toronto Soccer League to 3-0, stopping the North Toronto Nitros 4-1. Nour Alzahran paced the attack with a two goal effort, with Chad Tullio and Jonas Petroski chipping in with one goal apiece.