The Sudbury Cyclones OPL3 (Ontario Premier League 3) team has no issue scoring goals.

Finding the back of the net on 30 occasions in their 13 games to date, the second of the local entries in the men's soccer loop trail only four of the remaining nine teams in offensive production this year.

Keeping the ball out of their net, however, has proved problematic.

Surrendering 38 goals against, the Cyclones are surpassed (in a bad way) only by the winless North Mississauga SC entry that has allowed 54 goals to date.

Improving to 5-7-1 in their final home game of the season, the Cyclones scored enough to offset their defensive deficiencies, doubling Inter Toronto III (6-6-1) by a final count of 6-3.

And in a manner that must drive head coach Brian Ashton crazy, the Cyclones bolted their way to a 3-0 lead in the opening 22 minutes of play, dropped their guard enough to find the contest knotted at 3-3 midway through the second half before cranking it up a notch at the end, riding a five goal performance from Sam Howard to victory.

"When we are up 3-1, we can't shut down, thinking we have already won the game," said 23 year old second year Cyclone Josiah Stone, who is contemplating returning to the Cambrian Shield for a fourth year of OCAA soccer this fall.

"We have to keep going, 90 minutes through. It doesn't matter if it's 4-0, 5-0, we have to keep going until the end of the game."

Thankfully, in this case, playing against a visiting team with no subs, the Cyclones were able to pull away when needed. "We move the ball well through the middle, through the six," said Stone, who netted the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute.

"We pass the ball well, side to side. If we see an opening, we put it over the top or do one-two plays and just score."

The victory avenged a 3-0 loss to the same opponent at the end of May on the road, though Stone is not surprised given how the season has played out.

"At the start of the season, we had shaky chemistry but as the season went on, we built and built," said the young man who is looking at possibly pursuing professional opportunities overseas with the help of his older brother, Rahim Thorpe, who represented Canada as a call-up at the Slovakia (U18) Cup in 2015.

"At the end, we just want to be a team at the end of the day."

The OPL3 Cyclones will contest their final game of the year next Saturday (July 25th), facing the second place Vaughan Azzuri.