Stringing together a series of pretty passes before capitalizing with a lovely touch to strike the ball into the net can make for an aesthetically pleasing style of soccer – but if the through ball is there for the taking, a team would be silly not to use it.

Recognizing a definite mismatch early, the Sudbury Cyclones opened the scoring thanks for a first half tally off a long ball over the top and then really went to work in the final forty-five, adding two more runs behind the opposing back-line and a final goal off a scramble in blanking the visiting Simcoe County Rovers 4-0 Sunday afternoon at the James Jerome Sports Complex.

“We saw today very early on that playing high was going to be successful,” suggested attacking midfielder Cedric Devos, author of the first Sudbury goal before setting up a second half rocket from Douvoy Bromfield that increased the lead for the northern crew to 3-0.

“They were playing a very high line, so as soon as we were able to retrieve that ball in the middle third of the field, we created chances – close to 20 chances, I would say.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Territorially, the Cyclones dominated off the opening touch, stuck in a scoreless game partially due to some bad luck (shot off the post), partially due to some key saves from Phanuel Gunn and partially due to the fact that a series of corner kicks produced little in the way of quality scoring chances.

In the 31st minute, however, Jack Collins (who enjoyed a very strong outing before being rested once the game was in hand) sailed a well-placed ball slightly off center to the left with Devos beating Gunn to the sphere and easily sliding it into the net.

The Cyclones surely bemoaned missed opportunities in the opening half but left nothing to chance as play resumed , with Nico Portelance sending Timi Aliu on a through run in minute 49 and Devos doing likewise for Bromfield just four minutes later.

With plenty of substitutions on both sides, Stan Pankiewicz capped off the scoring, jumping on a loose ball courtesy of a scramble out near the 15 yard mark and drilling the ball to the back of the net.

Entering the contest at the half as a substitute for Sudbury striker Michael Marcantognini (who was somewhat snake-bitten in missing a pair of quality chances), Bromfield knew immediately what was at stake, on a personal level.

“Coming off the bench, you have to show what you have,” said the native of Jamaica who spent a handful of years with the Algoma Thunderbirds of the OUA. “We all want more minutes and the opportunity to finish.”

One of a majority of Cyclones players who carries university soccer experience into these League2 matchups, Bromfield offered the following comparison. “It’s different; the summer vibe is just different. The OUA is competitive too, don’t get me wrong. It’s very competitive. I feel that League2 is more aggressive – and in OUA, you have a little more time on the ball.”

Like Bromfield, Cedric Devos brings a wide perspective with the sport from his time on the pitch, dating back to his youth in Belgium and more recently as a member of the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay.

“Obviously everything is different from one continent to another,” he said. “Even in Europe, you can see a difference between every country. Belgium is very technical soccer. From a young age, we learn how to use our brain more than our feel sometimes. Here, the soccer is a little more physical, with more challenges (on the ball).”

His is a background that would see Devos thrive in settings where he either might finish or make plays that allow others to finish as well.

“I am more of a playmaker but the role of a playmaker is to score goals and give assists,” he said. “Today, I did both, so I’m pretty happy with that. Scoring a goal is a great feeling but being able to set up a teammate to score a goal is also a great feeling.”

With the game well in hand at 3-0, Cyclones coach Giuseppe Politi took full advantage to find playing time for some who may not have yet seen the field a whole lot, with Lucas Spirkoski, Teobaldo Torres, Ethan Mandes, Adrian Josephs and call-up Daniel Alexa all hitting the turf.

The Cyclones will play their first evening encounter next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. as Pickering FC provide the opposition.