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24 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017 SPORTS WATERLOO CHRONICLE By Bob Vrbanac Chronicle Sta� It was a battle against the ele-ments as much as it was a battle for the Waterloo County senior boys' and girls' Soccer Champion- ships Thursday afternoon at RIM Park. A gusting wind tilted the balance of play in the windward direction of both contests as the Waterloo Col- legiate Vikings took on the Cam- eron Heights Golden Gaels in the girls fi nals, while the Gaels were also looking to make it a senior sweep taking on the Bluevale Knights in the boys � nals. The girls contest saw an evenly- matched affair as both teams tried to keep the ball on the ground while battling the elements. It was a see- saw affair for most of the contest until some sustained pressure by the Vikings set up a chance at the edge of the box. A free kick, unhampered by the wild wind, fell nicely on the foot of Vikings centre-midfielder Ana Seb- bane, who slotted the winner past Gaels goaltender Dana Moss. "Alayna (Wallace) has a really strong kick and she sent it in and I saw the opportunity and kicked it in the back of the net," said Sebbane, a Grade 10 student in her second year with the squad. She admitted she wasn't going for a corner, she was just trying to get it on net after the Vikings had a num- ber of glorious scoring chances in the second half. "I wasn't even thinking 'corner,' I was just trying to get it back in the net because the wind was so strong and I thought it would push it to the side," said the 16-year-old who anchored solid midfield play for the Vikings. "Everything worked out and it went in." Sebbane said her squad struggled to start the season as they didn't have their full team right away, and took time to gel. � e Vikings lost four of the early contests before going on a run of wins that culminated in � urs- day's � nal. It was the second championship in the last three years for the Vikings and head coach Rhonda Nortarfran- co-Green, who has three titles with WCI in the last decade. "We didn't think we would make it this far but we did," said Sebbane. "We improved a lot this season, and I'm really proud of the girls." Veteran netminder Victoria Giguere earned the shutout for the Vikings and was helped by solid play in the backline, held by central defender Allie Bertoli. "The wind was crazy and every single kick was going everywhere," said Bertoli, a Grade 10 student in her second year with the club. "It was really hard to control, but we man- aged to hold on and shut them out." For Cameron Heights, Gabrielle Sica had a strong game for a backline that saw a lot of second-half pressure due to the wind. She felt the wind tilt- ed the fi eld of play, but was proud of her team's e� ort at trying to hang in. "I remember kicking the ball and seeing it come back toward me, and I was like 'oh gosh'," said the Grade 12 Gaels student. "It was defi nitely not helpful. Our backline was kind of exhausted and there was a little mis- communication on the winning goal, but no regrets because we're going to CWOSSA." On the boys side, the wind look like it was going to be a major factor until midway through the first half when the ball hung up for Ejaz Kari- mi on a corner kick before bouncing and ending up on his boot. Karimi had chance to take the lead after only a minute, but some tough defending by the Bluevale Knights backline turned his poten- tial breakaway aside. But he made no mistakes this time, burying what turned out to be the winning goal in the Gaels 3-0 win over the Knights. "We just persevered," said Karimi. "Even though we missed chances we kept on going. I got a little lucky on there but we kept on going. I was not expecting the ball, it bounced and then I just shot it right away." Karimi won a championships previously at the junior level, but this was his � rst senior title with the team that have been perennial favourites. "It means a lot," said Karimi. "We've been on a mission from the beginning and we're halfway there. It's off to CWOSSA and hopefully OFSAA." � e other goalscorers for Camer- on Heights were Ethan Williams and Brandon Pereira. Goalkeeper Dami- an Kruschat earned the clean sheet for the Gaels -- on his 18th birthday, no less. � e goaltender said it was a great gift considering the Gaels had been in the last three senior boys champi- onships and came up just short in all of them. "We've been always the brides- maid and never the bride," said Kruschat. "It was nice to get the championship and the clean sheet on my birthday." He said the wind was a factor dur- ing much of the game, including an early goal kick that went straight up and almost came back to him. He shoulders slumped after that goal but he managed a number of booming kicks to cut through the wind. "When I saw the ball go up and come back like that I knew we would have some problems," he said. "You just got to keep going and fight through it." The way his team played down the stretch and in the playoffs had Kruschat hoping the birthday gifts keep coming. "I am surprised because we start- ed the season off pretty weak, but we grew as a team as the season went on," said the Grade 12 Gaels student, who is in his fourth year with the club. "I'm proud of where we are." Beyond the bluster Windy conditions can't keep Vikings from claiming senior girls soccer title Vikings mid� eld Ana Sebbane drives home the winning shot in the WCI's 1-0 win in the WCSSAA senior girls soccer � nals against Cameron Heights. The Bluevale Knights Cinderella run ended with a 3-0 loss to the Cameron Heights Golden Gaels senior team in the boys � nals. BOB VRBANAC PHOTO The Vikings celebrate with goaltender Victoria Giguere who earned the shutout in her team's 1-0 championship win. BOB VRBANAC PHOTO