It was the first time that the Eagles boys’ soccer team has been to an OFSAA championship in six years. Just long enough to have a complete turnover in the team and have all new players head down to Windsor last week for the three-day tournament.
The team headed into their tournament with their first game against the host team and eventual OFSAA winners, the Kennedy Clippers. The team fell behind 4-0 in the first half but kept the Clippers scoreless in the second.
Game two saw a similar result as the team slipped to a 5-1 loss to St. Paul.
The boys headed into game two a little more comfortable with the level of play and it showed as they dominated the field, taking their first win at OFSAA 3-1 over Timiskaming.
Coach Conor Doherty says it was a great win for the boys and really boosted their confidence.
“The guys were excited about getting the win but at the same time, I don’t think they were shocked that they actually won a game at OFSAA after seeing a bunch of games already been played but yeah, after that game, they were really pumped.”
Game four was somewhat of a disappointment as they took a 2-1 loss against Peterborough, a team Doherty felt was not as strong as Timiskaming.
“We came out flat and it was 1-0 after the first half for them. We came out flat in the second half again and they got another cheap goal on us and all of a sudden we decided we needed to start playing and we dominated the rest of the game but we only got one goal.”
The experience overall was a good one for the team and with only two or three players leaving after this year, the team hopes to repeat the result and make it two trips in a row to the provincial tournament.
“I think now the guys realize that it’s not just about them. It’s about the whole community supporting them back home and a whole community of past players that are rooting them on so I think they started to understand a little that they’re not just a team going for a road trip. They’re only the third boys’ team to go to OFSAA.”