IROQUOIS – South Dundas United’s summer soccer leagues finished out the regular season in dramatic fashion July 20. The results from Match Week Nine set the stage for the annual World Cup playoff tournament next weekend.
Portugal defeated Mexico 3-1 in BMO U18 Soccer League action. Donovan Shaver’s hat trick, scoring once in the first half and twice in the second gave Portugal the edge. Grayson Casselman pulled one goal back for Mexico in the second half, his seventh goal of the season.
Parker Duff added to his league-leading scoring run in the league, netting goals 11 and 12 for Iceland. His scoring efforts were for nought. A four goal effort in the second half resulted in a 5-2 win for opponents and league leader Belgium. Reyen VanBeilen scored twice for Belgium, while Hayden Nyaba, Halle VanBeilen, and Leonardo Aliaga had one goal each. Goalkeeper Elliott Blancher secured his eighth win in goal for the team.
One goal was all that was needed for Columbia to upset BMO U14 Soccer League leaders Ukraine in their final match before playoffs. The teams were scoreless through the first half. Midfielder Quinn McDonald’s shot from inside the 18 yard box, her first goal of the season, gave Columbia their 1-0 win.
Finland’s Kane Casselman and Jaxson Lalonde-Testerink scored in the second half of their match against Ireland, securing a 2-1 win. Nikkolas Pool scored the lone goal for Ireland, also in the second half.
Down 2-1 at the break, Czechia rallied in the second half of their match against Hungary in the BMO U11 Soccer League, scoring three goals to win their first match of the season.
Joey Turner opened scoring for Hungary in the first half with two goals, while Jackson Johnston’s goal for Czechia started the team’s comeback.
The Pink Panthers faced their toughest challenge so far the season when they met the Unathleticos on the soccer pitch July 18 in the SDUFC Adult Super League. The two teams played a spirited first half with Panthers’ right wing-back Shayne Ingram scoring the lone goal of the game late in the first half. A play in midfield found Adamo Siviero collect the ball, passing it on the right to Ingram, who found his way past Unathleticos’ goalkeeper Scott Runions. Panthers led 1-0 at half time. Several plays in the second half saw both Runions, and Panthers’ goalkeeper Hunter Jones each make key saves for their team. At full time the score remained 1-0. In the other match of the night, Purple Haze collected their first win of the ASL season, 5-2 over the Seaway Snipers. Gavin Uhr scored a hat trick in the match. Pictured above, shot-stopper Runions (centre) goes to ground to save a shot attempt by Ingram early in the first half. (SDUFC photo)
Harrison Boisvenue tied the match early in the second half. Minutes later, Johnston scored a go-ahead-goal, his second of the game to move Czechia into the lead. Athena Johnston added an insurance goal for her team as they held on to win 4-2.
With first place and home field advantage on the line, first place Wales and second place Argentina – only one point apart – squared off one final time in the regular season in a 10 goal game.
Wales broke out to a 3-2 lead by half time. Bently Polite scored a brace in the opening half, Duncan De Vries scored once. Will Casselman scored both goals for Argentina. The second half of the match mirrored that of the first half with Polite and Casselman each scoring two more goals, and De Vries once more. Wales won 6-4, earning all three points in the standings.
Greece defeated Costa Rica 4-2. Jaxson Holmes, Blake Merkley-Carroll, and Nolan Tyo scored in the first half for Greece; Parker Johnson and Maverick DeJong each scored for Costa Rica. Greece led 3-2 at half time. Tyo’s insurance goal in the second half secured his team’s third win of the season.
South Korea completed their unbeaten season with a 5-3 win over Italy in the Tim Hortons TimBITS U9 Soccer League. Australia shut out Ecuador 4-0. France also had a shut out win, blanking Uruguay 2-0, and Northern Ireland doubled the Netherlands 4-2.
Germany also completed their unbeaten season, winning 7-0 over Croatia. Poland beat Canada 2-1, and Scotland narrowly edged out Denmark 3-2.
South Africa shut out Spain 7-0 in Tim Hortons TimBITS U5 Soccer League play. England rallied in the second half to beat Switzerland 7-5. Brazil won 5-2 over Japan, and the United States earned their first win of the regular season, 9-1 over Norway.
With regular season play now complete in all six SDUFC soccer leagues, season championships will be crowned this weekend (July 26-27) at the annual World Cup playoff tournament.