Holy Cross climbs to top in Challenge Cup

It wasn’t that long ago that Holy Cross sat in fourth place in the Johnson Insurance Challenge Cup provincial soccer standings.

It probably wasn’t as troubling as you might think for the defending provincial men’s champions. They were well within hailing distance of the teams ahead of them, and the Crusaders had to be thinking that a little hot streak might propel them to near, maybe even in, first place.

Holy Cross did go on such a run, winning five of its last six games, including a 2-1 victory over the C.B.S That Pro Look Strikers Wednesday night at the Topsail Turf Complex, with Isaac Bonisteel’s third goal in as many games standing as the winner.

And sure enough, heading into this weekend, they are in first place, a point up on their St. John’s arch-rivals, Feildians, who have a game in hand Even though the positioning has changed somewhat, it’s still pretty cozy among the top four in the Challenge Cup standings. Just five points separate Holy Cross and the fourth-place St. Lawrence Laurentians, who have two games in hand on the Crusaders. C.B.S., which sits third, is idle this weekend.

The Laurentians are hosting Feildians at Centennial Field today (6 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.), while Paradise SC also has two weekend games, facing still-winless Mount Pearl Proactive Physio 6 p.m. today at the Gushue Complex and hosting Holy Cross at the Dianne Whalen Complex 2 p.m. Sunday.