Field lacrosse Saints grab silver at provincials
Team undefeated all season — except for their matches against Whitby’s Brooklin High School
The St. Peter Saints girls field lacrosse team would have been undefeated this year if not for their nemesis Brooklin High School from Whitby.
Brooklin defeated the Saints, 14-8, in the OFSAA sanctioned championship in Orillia on Tuesday. It left the Saints with a 25-3 record on the season with all three losses coming to Brooklin in tournament finals.
The Saints won the fourth tournament they entered in Mississauga. They also won Kawartha and COSSA championships.
The silver medal was an improvement on the Saints’ bronze in 2022.
“I don’t think Brooklin has lost a game since COVID,” said Saints head coach Chad deLaPlante. “They are a powerhouse of Oshawa girls.”
It was their best performance of the season against Brooklin with shots about equal and the Saints winning more than 50 per cent of the draws.
The Brooklin players defended a bit better, he said.
With a bounce or two, the outcome could have been different,” said deLaPlante.
“The girls could have rolled over and died but they played their guts out. Their attitude and effort in the final was phenomenal They gave it everything they had. It was a game of momentum. Both teams went on runs. It was an outstanding game of lacrosse and was much closer than the score indicated.”
Stella Burke led the Saints with five goals while Avery Johnston scored twice and Keira deLaPlante once.
The Saints finished first in their pool in the 12-team tournament on Monday by defeating a Brooklin B team, 17-2, and the host Patrick Fogarty, 10-5. They advanced to the quarterfinals where they beat St. Mary’s of Owen Sound, 14-2. In the semifinals, they defeated Durham Region’s Maxwell Heights, 11-9.
It’s the Saints’ second silver at OFSAA as they chase their first gold. They will graduate defenders Morgan Flannigan and Lauren Jefferey, which leaves two holes to fill on defence, but they have the rest of the team returning.
“We’ll be very, very strong next year, as well,” said deLaPlante. “Brooklin will be strong again, no question.
“Next year, we’ll be a little bit older and a little bit stronger and a little bit faster and we’ll go for gold.”
The Holy Cross Hurricanes also sent a team to OFSAA, placing seventh overall.
Girls soccer
The St. Peter Saints senior girls soccer team continued its unbeaten season, capturing the COSSA AAA gold medal in Belleville at Mary Ann Sills Park on Tuesday.
The Saints clinched a berth in the OFSAA AAA championships in Grimsby from June 7 to 9.
Once again, the Saints blanked the Cobourg Collegiate Wolves in the COSSA final, 4-0, in a rematch of the Kawartha championship game. The Saints also defeated Belleville’s Eastside Secondary School in the semifinals, 6-0.
The goal-scorers included Bella Bowen, with three; Grace Murphy, with two; and Elora Wigboldus, Delaney Hancock, Hailey Silvestri, Emily Perras and Riley Falkner all with one goal each. Hayden Hanley had a shutout in both games.
“The team played extremely well in the semifinals and finals at COSSA, working effectively as a unit,” said Saints coach Erin Naylor.
“I was extremely impressed by the outstanding defensive play, not allowing a single goal in either game.
This hardworking group demonstrated grit and determination all day. We are hoping to continue this at OFSAA.”
Tennis
Four Peterborough athletes will compete at the OFSAA tennis championships in Toronto on Monday after capturing medals at the COSSA championships in Belleville last Friday.
Adam Scott Collegiate teammates Kohl Millitz and Liam Masters met in the COSSA men’s singles final with Millitz emerging victorious. Both qualify for OFSAA.
Also winning gold and advancing to OFSAA was the Holy Cross Hurricanes mixed doubles team of Cole Lester and Virginia Do Le.