The U17 Boys got off to a rough start in their I-Model C2 division campaign. After a tough home loss to Newmarket by a 3-1 score that could have gone either way, they travelled to Sudbury on Saturday. Aiden Smith scored for Muskoka against Newmarket.
Unfortunately, in Sudbury, the MUFC team had to compete against not only their opponents, but their home-favouring refs as well.
In what was a close game early on, Muskoka forward Dante Occhiuzzi cancelling out a game-opening goal by Sudbury, which was totally against the run of play and borderline offside.
At that point and really throughout the first half, the MUFC boys created the best chances, had more shots on goal and were the better team. But, alas, Sudbury created a quality opportunity and did finish it.
Then, on a play that even an opposing team’s fan with a good view of the situation said, “that’s not a penalty,” the referee gave a penalty with only a minute left in the half in favour of the home team.
Just minutes before that penalty decision, Occhiuzzi had been hit in the mouth with a dangerous elbow and no call was made despite the ref having a clear view of the play.
Though the score was 3-1 at halftime for the home team, the Muskoka boys had played well enough to be at least tied in the match.
The second half was more of the same, which included one of the MUFC players getting two yellows – which equals a red card and dismissal from the game – despite not deserving either yellow card.
At that point, the score was 4-1, and Sudbury added another while playing a man up the rest of the match. Though the final tally will read 5-1 in favour of the home team, the two teams were not that far apart in terms of gameplay, shots on goal, and scoring chances.
Next up for Muskoka is a trip to Markham to play Unionville on July 24.
The other MUFC team in I-Model, the U15 Boys playing in the C3 division, also had a tough week. After back-to-back home wins, the MUFC squad headed down to Thornhill on July 16 and fell 8-3.
Kyliam Coulombe had a hat trick for Muskoka. Next up is a home match against Kleinburg-Nobleton on July 23 at Gostick Park in Bracebridge.
HDSL Teams
The rest of the MUFC teams are playing the Huronia District Soccer League (HDSL), which covers soccer clubs from Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, North Simcoe, South Simcoe, North Bay, and Sudbury.
The Over 45 men’s team were on a bye week last week but remain in first place in the HDSL with a 4-1-1 record, good enough to be one point ahead of the Barrie Masters, and two points up on defending champion Nottawasaga.
The U15 girls, playing in a U16 division, picked up their first win of the season on July 14 away to Barrie. Andi Stevenson scored all three goals in the 3-0 win. Stevenson now has goals on the year through seven games as she sits in the Top 3 in league scoring.
The U14 girls suffered their first loss of the year away to Collingwood on July 16. The home team beat MUFC 2-0. They’re still in first place with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss on the year.
The U12 girls were on a bye week with their next match coming on July 30 against Barrie White at Pollington Field in Huntsville.
The U11 girls were on a bye week. Their next match is July 21 at Wasaga Beach.
The U9 girls dropped a pair of close matches on July 19 against Sudbury by scores of 3-0 and 2-0.
The U14 boys fell 3-0 against Barrie on July 15. Their next match is on July 22 at Gostick Park against South Simcoe United.
The U12 Boys topped Barrie 1-0 on July 15 with Andy Sawyer scoring the lone goal and Dexter Denhartogh getting the clean sheet in goal. Their next match is on July 22 at Pollington Field against South Simcoe United.
The U11 boys fell 3-0 to Innisfil on July 17. Their next match is on July 24 at Pollington Field against Orillia.
The U10 boys were on a bye week. They take on the Bradford Wolves on July 21 at Gostick Park.
The U9 boys faced off against some tough competition this week, dropping a 3-0 away match to Wasaga Beach, and a 4-0 home result against Sudbury.
Women’s League
The Huntsville Women’s League Week 8 results are in, and the Muskoka Tea Company continued their winning ways with a 1-0 win over The SportLab. Meanwhile, on the other field, On The Docks Pub won 3-1 over Muskoka Marshamallo Company.
Week 8 Players of the Match awards, as voted on by their peers, went to Maya McDonald, Becky Herbener, Jaimee Copeman, and Alex Eaton.
Week 9 takes place on July 21 at Conroy Park at 6:30 p.m.
That’s it for this week! Stay tuned weekly to the Doppler for Muskoka soccer round-ups!
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
Too bad for the U17 boys and good luck for the rest of the campaign in this challenging division! They should be congratulated on their accomplishments against much larger soccer programs then we offer in Muskoka. Having said that, I would like to point out to the scribe of this article that referee bashing is a poor losers excuse!