There almost wasn’t a U14 Boys Strikers team this year. But when six new players to Rep soccer decided to join, the boys began to work hard, learning to play together as a team under the direction of head coach Graham Thompson and assistant coach Alex Gardiner.
Their hard work paid off. They won their regular season with 12 wins, one tie and one loss, and the team had the best goal differential in the league with 65 points – 83 for and 18 against. Great accomplishments, boys!
To cap off a great season, the team headed to the Huronia District Soccer Association Cup in Barrie on September 9-10.
On Saturday, Huntsville played their semi-final game against Ramara, the only team to beat the Strikers in the regular season. “The game was very tough as we were ranked number one and had all the pressure to prove we deserved it,” said Coach Graham Thompson. After the Strikers held their lead by one for much of the game, Ramara scored to tie up the game and it went into penalty kicks. Both Ramara and Huntsville had seven kicks in for each team until, finally, a Ramara player hit the crossbar and the Strikers moved on to the finals. Players, coaches and parents were relieved!
Huntsville met Orillia in the final game that was held on Sunday, September 10. The Strikers played and beat Orillia twice in the regular season so the team was motivated to steal the win quickly.
“However, yet again we were under the pressure to win, so the game was very close. After leading 1-0 for most of the game, Orillia tied it up,” said Coach Thompson. “Our boys didn’t panic. Instead, they kept to their style of play and remembered what they had learned from each other all season, and put a second goal in net with 10 minutes left.”
Congrats to the Huntsville Strikers U14 Boys for holding on to the one-point lead and taking the win 2-1 for the HDSA Cup. “For most of our boys, this was the first significant win in soccer or any sport and it was a very exciting moment,” said Coach Thompson. “All players rushed the field and we had a celebration nobody will forget!”
The U14 Strikers would like to thank their sponsor, the Huntsville Place Mall, as well as all of the parents and fans for their support and encouragement throughout the season.
Co-captains (from left) Michael Sykes, Drew Gardiner and Luke Mensour. All three have been playing soccer since they were four years old and Rep soccer since 2012.
Team roster:
Ian Adams
Josh Bemmann
Tuleigh Cameron
Quentin Clark
Max Farr
Drew Gardiner
Braeden Horvath Thompson
Nate Johnson
Gavin McPhee
Luke Mensour
Quinton Sowrey
Mike Sykes
Devon Tait
Garrett Waddell
Kevin Walsh
Byron Wilder
Head Coach: Graham Thompson
Assistant Coach: Alex Gardiner
Manager: Carrie Sykes
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It was an awesome season boys! One I’ll never forget. Thanks for making it great!