Lucas Punkari
After running roughshod through the Borderland Soccer League women’s division during the regular season, Boston Pizza saved their best effort for the playoffs.
Following a 9-0 demolition of the La Place Rendez-Vous Voyageurs in the semi-finals, the squad put the wraps on a perfect season last Thursday evening as they dumped Taggs Source for Sports 8-1 in the final.
“It has been an amazing season,” Laureen Peters enthused.
“Our team clicked right off of the start and we just kept on rolling from there,” she noted.
“We were lucky that we kept that going for the rest of the season.”
While the title game pitted the top two teams from the regular season, the outcome was never in doubt as Boston Pizza netted three early goals en route to a 6-0 halftime lead.
“I think scoring those goals early made a huge difference,” said Adrienne Smith, who notched a pair of goals in the final.
“Once you are able to get the ball rolling, it’s easy to keep that momentum going,” she reasoned.
“And to have that in a final is always a good thing to have.”
Peters and Colleen Hogan also scored twice during the final, with Mandy Armstrong and Alyssa Holiday adding singles.
Taggs’ spoiled the shutout bid of Boston Pizza keeper Amy Wilson-Hands when Courtney Roach converted on a penalty kick with only a few minutes left in the second half.
“We were really excited about getting that goal at the end,” said Taggs’ midfielder Sara Roach.
“They [Boston Pizza] came out really strong right off of the start, and I think that’s what made the difference in this game,” she remarked.
“We were on their level for parts of the game, but they just had a little bit more momentum than we did.”
Despite the disappointing end to their season, Roach was pleased with how the year went, especially for the league as a whole.
“There were a lot of new players that came out this year, so I’m really excited to see that,” she enthused.
“I think next year will be really good as the new players got to see how the league goes, and I think they will be ready to take part in it once again.”
Meanwhile, as Boston Pizza prepares to host the district championship here Aug. 25-26, when they’ll be taking on the league winners from Kenora, Dryden, and Sioux Lookout, the fact they were able to capture the local title is starting to set in.
“To win it all is definitely nice, especially after we went out early in the playoffs last year,” Peters recalled.
“That had been looming in the back of our minds all year, and we all wanted to change that feeling this season, so I think that we did really well.”
The women’s division also handed of season awards last Thursday night:
•Golden Boot (top goal scorer)—Laureen Peters (Boston Pizza);
•Goalie of the Year—Amy Wilson-Hands (Boston Pizza);
•Most Sportsmanlike—Hailey Beaudry (La Place Rendez-Vous Voyageurs);
•Best Defensive Player—Anika McTavish (Al’s Racquet Stringing);
•Rookie of the Year—Colleen Hogan (Boston Pizza);
•Heart & Soul Award—Jessica Caul (La Place Rendez-Vous Voyageurs); and
•Most Valuable Player—Sara Roach (Taggs Source for Sports)
While the outdoor soccer season is winding down, there are plans for a women’s indoor soccer league during the off-season, with games slated to be held Wednesday nights starting Oct. 3.
Registration is slated for Sept. 26 from 7-8 p.m. at Fort High.
“The plan is to start the games at 7 p.m. each week, with each contest being about an hour long,” noted Wilson-Hands.
“Right now there hasn’t been any discussion to have an indoor men’s league to go along with the women’s league,” she added.
“But if someone is willing to jump on board for it, I would be willing to help them out with that.”
