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Loyola wins junior boys' soccer By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 33 · Wednesday, June 16, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Holding on When a player's junior career lasts two years at the most, experience is not often at the top of the list in determining a team's success. And yet, for the Loyola Hawks, there was more than enough recent history to drive them to Friday's 3-1 victory in the Halton junior boys' soccer final. For starters, the returning Hawks still had the memory of last year's final -- when a lastminute goal gave Holy Trinity the title -- in the back of their minds. "We knew we had a lot of (Grade) 9s last year," said Loyola coach Nick De Stefano. "They had the experience to handle close games so we knew we had a team that could make a run if things went well." And things did go well for the Hawks. They went undefeated, sporting a 7-0-2 record to top the Volpe Division, and after adding a couple more playoff wins once again found themselves in the final with Halton's only other undefeated team, the Christ the King Jaguars (6-0-3). Even in compiling their near-perfect record, the Hawks picked up some valuable lessons that paid dividends in the championship game. After winning their playoff games by a combined score of 10-1 (including a measure of payback with a 5-0 win over Holy Trinity in the semifinals), the Hawks could have grown frustrated when they found themselves still searching for their first goal at the half. They could have panicked when the Jaguars seized the momentum late in the game and cut their lead to 2-1. The Hawks did neither. "We've given up goals in the first five minutes of a game," De Stefano said, "but we know we have the offensive power if we do fall behind." Loyola had missed a good opportunity late in the opening half when Kamil Tkaczuk chipped the ball past Jaguars' goalie Robert Chita, who had rushed out of his net, only to have the ball go wide. They had a couple of more good chances in the opening minutes of the second half with Nick Hache's free kick and A.J. Martins' header off a corner kick both going just wide. Loyola's persistence paid off, though, as Juan Santana's header found the mark. Minutes later, after being stopped on a point blank shot by Chita, Hache buried the rebound to put Loyola up 2-0. Even in the areas where Loyola lacked experience, it managed to fend off the Jaguars. Alex Englert, a defender who doesn't even play soccer outside of high school, got back to break up a couple of promising CTK rushes. "He's a special player," said De Stefano. "Honestly, he was one of the last to make the cut last year. But we taught him a few things and he's taken that and come back and started this year. He's come a long way. Players like that, you would want on any team." Christ the King would finally break through the Hawks' defence, exerting its best offensive pressure of the game with 15 minutes to play. Luke Engineer broke Jake Babic's shutout bid when he slipped a shot just inside the post. Again, Loyola would respond quickly. Mathew Santos had a beautiful strike that curled under the bar into the top right corner to conclude the scoring. ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER EAGLE IN TOW: Aldershot's Jennifer Crawford (with ball) carries an Abbey Park defender downfield during Thursday's Halton girls' rugby Division 2 final in Burlington. Aldershot defeated the Eagles 8-0. FAMILY GOLF LEARNING CENTRE Ridge played Holy Trinity tough Continued from page 32 Trinity added another run in its first at-bat as Alison Bayzat singled, moved up on a passed ball and groundout, then scored on Melissa Lynett's single up the middle. The Titans swelled their lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning on a double by McLaughlin that cashed Lynett from first base. The run support was more than enough for Sprukulis and McLaughin, who retired 12 of the last 13 batters they faced. It was the second time this season the Trailblazers were shut out, both 3-0 defeats at the hands of the Titans. "(The Trailblazers are) a tough team. They are really good competitors, and their pitching was good," said Sprukulis. "They hadn't been (to a Halton final) before, so it was definitely an accomplishment for them." GOLF CAMPS START March Break Fun! JUNE 2 FOR28TH, 2010 - Putt 1 Mini CALL NOW TO REGISTER Valid until March 21 We are a unique centre challenging the most serious golfer, but catering to family fun & enjoyment OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB Week Five Photo Contest Winner: Photographer: Stephan Freeman Sponsored by: We have a Selected as 1 of the Money-saving "TOP 100 RANGES Membership in America" Program! Last 13 Years in a row (1997 - 2010) 1455 Joshuas Creeke Drive The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club 905-842-6120