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It’s been a tough year for
graduating Jessie Hamilton senior Mike Laplante on the local soccer
pitch but it’s a price he’s willing to pay. Suiting up with the
Panhellenic Thunder U-14 boys for a third straight year, Laplante and
his teammates knew going in that the move to Central Soccer League play
this year would not be an easy transition.
“We have to get more experience at this level – if we keep working,
eventually we’ll beat them”, said Laplante recently while preparing to
help coach a U-5 houseleague team in Walden. Unfortunately, “eventually”
hasn’t yet come for Laplante and company as the squad sports an 0-7
record, still looking for their first goal in a CSL game while allowing
35 against to date.
Born in Lively, Laplante began his soccer career with the Walden Minor
Soccer Association, playing four years in the successful WMSA system. “I
thought of always having fun and I remember playing goalie a little”
reminisced Laplante, who continued to look for tougher competition,
finding his way to the Panhellenic stable of teams in 2004.
With the Thunder facing competition in both the SRCSL (Sudbury Regional
Competitive Soccer League) and the NRSL (Northern Regional Soccer
League), Laplante continued to hone his skills, including working with
Regional Coach Brian Ashton while trying to crack the provincial roster.
A versatile athlete who also enjoys volleyball and basketball, Laplante
has played a wide variety of positions, even donning the goalie gloves
earlier this year for a handful of games. “I thought that I would like
to see what it would be like to be in net again…I’ve done pretty well so
far” said Laplante, who makes no secret of his love for diving,
acrobatic saves.
While he prefers playing either between the pipes or as striker,
Laplante knows that there are still elements of his game that need
refining. “I need to challenge the ball more, either in net or in the
field.” And the thirteen year old has plenty of competition to draw on
in taking his soccer skills to the top of his game.
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Mike Laplante, Panhellenic
Thunder U-14 Boys
While he prefers playing either between the pipes or as striker,
Laplante knows that there are still elements of his game that need
refining. “I need to challenge the ball more, either in net or in the
field.”
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