Renegades just one win from glory
Team in fine form with two triumphs
Their recent disappointment is behind them.
Losers last week in the semifinal round of the Waterloo County girls’ high school soccer playoffs, the Grand River Renegades suddenly find themselves just one win away from a berth in next week’s Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations triple-A championship.
The Renegades were in fine form Wednesday at the six-team Central Western Ontario championship, scoring a 5-0 win over Brantford’s St. John’s College Green Eagles and a 2-0 win over the WCSSAA champion Waterloo Vikings at Woodside Park.
The win over WCI was especially sweet as the Vikings eliminated the Renegades in the WCSSAA playoffs with a surprising 2-0 victory.
Grand River will meet the John F. Ross Royals of Guelph in one of the semifinal matchups scheduled for 11 a.m. at Woodside Park. The Resurrection Phoenix will tackle St. John’s in the other semifinal and the victors will advance to the 2:30 p.m. final. Both finalists earn a spot at the OFSAA championship, starting next Thursday in Belle River.
“The last game we had against (WCI) was just bad luck. We have good players and lots of confidence. I think we can do it … and make it to OFSAA,” said Renegades’ fifth-year player Carmen Kukulj.
“We can forget about what happened last week because we got a new start today.”
Grand River got into the CWOSSA tournament as the third WCSSAA entry behind WCI and Cameron Heights Golden Gaels. To get this far, they needed to win a third-place game against the Preston Panthers and then defeat the Owen Sound CVI Wolves in a CWOSSA play-in game.
WCI and Cameron Heights were both winless at CWOSSA and have been eliminated.
Stephanie Salata scored all five goals in Grand River’s win over St. John’s and Kayla Ambrose scored both goals against WCI. Maddy Johannes recorded a pair of shutouts.
Resurrection also put an unpleasant memory behind them at CWOSSA. The Phoenix were 2-1 losers to the St. David Celtics in last week’s District 8 final but secured their berth in the semifinals with an 8-0 win over Cameron Heights.
Janelle Ward and Spencer Parker both scored twice, while Daniella D’Arsie, Kara Hughes, Jada Ward, and Brynn Morgan added singles. Krissia Vasquez recorded the shutout.
Haley MacArthur and Parker scored in Resurrection’s first game, a 2-2 tie with John F. Ross. Eliza Cazzola and Abbi Morrell scored for the Royals.
Ross beat Cameron Heights 3-1 in its other game, with goals coming from Morrell, Kaili Baird, and McKenzie Coole. Taleya Argueta replied for the Gaels.
Rebecca Young and Mya Martorano scored for St. John’s in a 2-1 win over WCI. Ana Sebbane replied for the Vikings.
Meanwhile, the CWOSSA boys’ triple-A championship continues Thursday at Woodside Park with a pair of 9:30 a.m. semifinal matchups. Cameron Heights faces Resurrection in one, and the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders meet John F. Ross in the other. The final, with a berth at next week’s OFSAA tournament on the line, will be played at 12:30 p.m.
Celtics advance The St. David Celtics have advanced to the semifinal round of the CWOSSA double-A boys’ soccer championships in Owen Sound.
The Celtics moved on with a 3-1 win over Guelph’s Bishop Macdonell Celtics and 4-1 win over the Galt Ghosts to set up a semifinal meeting with the Simcoe Sabres.
The St. Mary’s Mustangs of Owen Sound take on Bishop Macdonell in the other semifinal. Galt and Orangeville’s Westside Thunder were eliminated.
The Southwood Sabres reached the semifinal round of CWOSSA double-A girls’ championship with a 1-0 win over St. David and 2-0 loss to Bishop Macdonell. St. David tied Bishop Macdonell 2-2 but was eliminated.
Southwood will face the Paris Panthers in one of the semifinals and Bishop Macdonell takes on the Erin Raiders in the other.
Rugby
The Waterloo Vikings will take on the Brantford Collegiate Mustangs at 5 p.m. on Thursday with a berth at next week’s OFSAA boys’ triple-A rugby championship in Ottawa up for grabs.
On Wednesday, WCI scored a 28-26 win over St. John’s in their opener and blanked the St. Mary’s Eagles, 22-0, in their second outing.
Brantford and St. John’s will meet in the junior final.