If Sudbury folks were noticing a little more traffic on the roads in town or a few more challenges in finding seating space at your favourite local eatery this past weekend, blame it on the soccer and hockey crew – yet again.
The GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) welcomed no less than forty teams to town for the fourth annual Great North Winter Classic, with entries making their way to the nickel city from Ottawa, Guelph, Richmond Hill, Barrie, Toronto, Muskoka – and a boatload from Sault Ste Marie.
All of that out-of-town company did not prohibit the local contingent from securing more than there fair share of the hardware, with both GSSC Impact and Sudburnia Elite representatives showing quite well.
GSSC coach Stephane Marier was as busy as anyone on the weekend, his summer U14 team (which features a mix of U13 and U14 talent) split into two to accommodate the 6 v 6 indoor game that kept the Lancer Dome rocking for two straight days.
“I was a little more concerned with the U14s because they were playing up in the U15 division,” said Marier, his team claiming a 1-0 victory over the Sault Youth Soccer Club (SYSC) as Julia D’Angelo found the back of the net and Martina Puerta Cuevas recorded the clean sheet.
“That was a bit more of a challenge, but I ad a good understanding that we could do well with both groups.”
The U13 GSSC girls also faced SYSC in the final, registering a 3-1 win in the grand finale as Leah Lalonde netted a pair of goals and Alexa Boissoneault hit the mark with the other.
“I was happy they (U13 Impact girls) played their game and played it right,” said Marier. “We played three Sault Ste Marie teams on Sunday so they had a lot of time to figure out exactly what they were going to do against us.”
Between the 6 v 6 games (both of these teams competed in the Ontario Cup, the U13s advancing to the semi-finals) and competing in the PISL (Provincial Indoor Soccer League) as a combined unit, there is ample opportunity for coach Marier to work on elements of the game that might differ in moving from the outdoor pitch to the indoor domes.
“Six v six is faster paced, with more one v one battles,” said Marier. “It’s not exactly like hockey but it’s closer to hockey than 11 v 11 in a sense of how you play: short shifts, keep the girls fresh. We don’t take the passing out of the game, but you need to beat players one v one to be successful.”
GSSC Impact U13 girls: Elsa Rancourt, Alayna Marier-Mikus, Bella Fraser, Sierra Ranger, Sienna Ferguson-Soules, Taya Messier, Leah Lalonde, Contesssa Rizzo, Luciana Tellez Romero, Alexa Boissoneault, Lynn Nzotungwanimana, Scarlett Hallows
GSSC Impact U14 girls: Violet Boisvenue, Emma Leigh Morin, Alice Hallows, Julia D’Angelo, Zoey Brazier, Callie Couillard, Martina Puerta Cuevas, Jessie Fu, Veronica Paquette, Braya Kelly, Victoria Nicholls
Over on the boys side of the draw, long-time soccer pro Brian Ashton was replicating the schedule that coach Marier was enjoying, at the helm of both a Sudburnia Elite U18 squad that stomped Guelph 6-1 in the final (but only after slipping past the GSSC U17 Impact lads 2-1 in the semis) as well as a U14 Sudburnia group that trimmed Barrie 1-0.
Heading up the Sudbury Cyclones Academy and actively involved with the Sudburnia Soccer Club, Ashton merged his interest in both to try and offer soccer opportunities to as many interested kids as possible.
“I think it’s a really, really talented group of kids – and they are even more passionate about what they are doing,” said Ashton about his elder statesmen, a squad that welcomed a solid core of young men who had played competitive soccer for several years now with GSSC coach Nigel Croome.
“They want to be there just as much as I do.”
Showing the way for the U18s was Ibrahim Najem, from a scoring perspective, with Axel Moncada, Luca Cucullo, Theo Lefebvre, Boston Ranger, Braxton Ragogna, Diego Valle, Santiago Medina, London Croome, Alameen Salami, Dash Kamal, Roman Mamonov and Connor Nicholson joining him on the roster.
The U14 Sudburnia reps provided a bit more of a surprise, earning their win on a strike from An Mai. “I didn’t know what to expect from this group,” said Ashton, building around a quintet of summer talent that suit up with Matt Cootes’ Impact team. “We just decided to put this team in and see how they do.”
Teammates earning gold on Sunday were Xavio Cootes, Aaron Flanagan, Tyler Gaudreau, Calvin Faux, Tyson Little, Hamoudie Najem, Dante Furlong, Annabelle Parotta, Ari Bitetto, Nico Lopez, Vincent Ladouceur, along with Mai.
The GSSC U18 Impact girls also topped the podium, but not before receiving a late goal from Bryn Hobson (on a lovely volley from keeper Izzy Roy), with the former then making good on her penalty shot, along with both Olivia Ferguson-Soules and Abigail Betsill, lifting Sudbury to the win over SYSC.
Banners heading out of town included the U13 boys (Barrie with a 2-1 win over GSSC), U15 boys (Richmond Hill with 3-0 win in the final over GSSC, the teams having played to a 1-1 draw in round robin play) and the U16 boys (West Ottawa clipped GSSC 2-1 on penalty kicks after the Impact had won their head to head preliminary battle.
