Playoff fever is running through the Borderland Soccer Association—and both Gillons’ teams aren’t about to lower the temperature of their red-hot play.
The Gillons’ men’s team (14-3-1) have had first place locked up for quite some time, but didn’t look like they had lost their edge in a season-ending 5-1 win over third-place Nova (8-8-1) last Thursday.
Jeremy Wilson—who led all regular-season scorers with 17 goals—tallied twice for the victors, with Tyler Barker and Matt Basaraba (his 10th, tied for second in the league with Taggs’ Olaf Ruppenstein) adding other goals.
The fifth Gillons’ score was unavailable as of press time.
Steve Keesic moved into a tie for fourth with Gillons’ Adam McTavish by notching his eighth of the campaign in response for Nova.
But Gillons’ was derailed by both Taggs and Mother Nature in their 1-0 loss July 29.
Mike Webb scored in the first half before thunderstorms wiped out the second half, giving second-place Taggs (8-4-2) the win.
In the only other men’s game last week, Nova overcame a 1-0 second-half deficit to nip ITS 2-1, with Bosko Stopa scoring the game-winner on a rocket from outside the 18-yard box that beat goalie Justin Depodesta to the far side.
The other Nova scorer was unavailable as of press time, while Bob Green hammered home a penalty kick to give last-place ITS (1-15-3) with its only offence.
The men’s league playoffs will begin Aug. 13 with a pair of two-game, total-goal semi-finals at the St. Francis Sportsfields. Ten-time defending league champion Taggs goes head-to-head with Nova at 6 p.m. while Gillons’ tackles ITS at 7:30.
The following night, Gillons’ and ITS will meet at 6 p.m., with Taggs and Nova finishing their series at 7:30.
The semi-final winners will meet in a one-game showdown Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. while the losers will play off for third place Aug. 15 at 7 p.m.
< *c>Rest period
With a possible first-place showdown this past Sunday confronting them, the Gillons’ women’s team squashed Curves’ chances at top spot with a 4-3 win last Thursday.
Susie Grynol scored her eighth of the season late in the contest to earn Gillons’ (12-3-0) the victory—and clinch first place—as she raced in on the right side before deking the keeper and then rifling the ball past a defender into the empty net.
Melanie Hyatt, Shannon Koval (her seventh), and league leader Laureen Cousineau (her 20th) also tallied for Gillons’.
Rebecca Cornell, who wound up second in league scoring, drilled her 17th of the season for second-place Curves (10-5-2) while Nicole Rogozinski (her 13th) and Sarah Noonan also cashed in.
Meanwhile, Curves put the boot to cellar-dwelling Taggs 8-1, with Cornell having a phenomenal showing with five goals while Rogozinski added a hat trick. Trista Barker had the lone reply for Taggs (1-14-2).
Finishing in first gives Gillons’ a huge advantage heading into the post-season as they will sit back and watch Curves and Taggs clash in a two-game, total-goal semi-final next Wednesday and Thursday at 6 p.m.
The survivor then only will have one day’s rest before facing Gillons’ in the league final Aug. 16 at 2 p.m.
For more information as well as the schedule for this weekend’s annual “Ball Blast” tournament, check out borderlandsoccer.com
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
