Mitch Calvert
Back-to-back
titles for Gillons’
It was young versus younger in the Borderland Soccer Association’s men’s final last Wednesday evening at the Struchan L. H. Gilson Soccer Pitches, so it seemed only fitting that a rookie notched the game-winning goal in Domino’s 2-0 win over Emo.
Mike Sande’s goal early in the second half gave Domino’s all the cushion they needed before Tyler Barker salted away the victory with an insurance marker only minutes later.
“Kyle Herr pretty much ran from half all the way in, beat a few guys, and I just kinda jogged along and was in the right spot at the right time,” Barker said of his goal. “It was in the six-yard box, so anybody would’ve got it.”
The two goal scorers are exemplary of a team that has kept a strong core of returning players, including Barker, while also spicing in rookies like Sande, Mike McCaig and others to fill out the roster and provide much-needed depth.
That deep bench proved the difference in the second half on a hot and muggy August evening.
“Especially on a night like [last Wednesday] with the heat, it’s nice to have that [depth],” Barker noted.
Both teams seemed disjointed in the first half, rarely producing anything resembling a scoring opportunity. But perhaps Emo’s best chance came off the boot of Doug Veldhuisen when he redirected a centering feed in close just over the crossbar.
Emo couldn’t gain the momentum off the missed opportunity, failing to mount much of an offensive besides a late chance from Garnet Cornell that was stopped by Dan Poperechny just inside the post.
“Emo is a tough team, they gave us a run for our money,” Domino’s Andrew Sonnasinh insisted. “They can run all day, a young team like us, [but] maybe even younger with good skill.”
As far as Fort Frances sports lore goes, Domino’s may soon be mentioned in the same breath as five-time FFCBC champions Joe Thrun and Jim Moynagh if they continue their winning ways.
“I don’t know if I’d compare us to them, they usually dominate every bass tournament, but we’re getting up there,” Sonnasinh said. “This is our third in a row, they have five [titles], so we are testing their limits right now.”
Domino’s (9-4-3) finished atop the division standings but faced plenty of competition from Pharmasave (8-3-5) and Emo (9-5-2) throughout the season, including a 4-0 shutout at the hands of Emo on July 29.
But Domino’s stressed the importance of having coach Sone Sonnasinh patrolling the sidelines as a difference-maker in their two playoff victories.
“We do have talented guys, but I think a coach definitely makes a difference,” Barker noted. “Guys don’t argue with a coach and no one’s back-talking. What he says goes.”
Domino’s also had a secret weapon in their court with Emo resident Tanner Kaemingh lining up opposite his hometown team.
“Tanner hates Emo and his parents hate him for not playing for them,” Sonnasinh joked. “He sticks with his friends and we’re glad to have him, he’s a big part of our team even though he’s goal-less this season.
“They don’t show assists on the points sheet,” Sonnasinh laughed.
Domino’s Chris Faragher said another key to their three-straight titles is the shared camaraderie among the squad—exemplified by the festive post-game meal held at the Sonnasinh’s afterwards.
“It’s all about friends,” Faragher stressed, just before “friend” and teammate Dan Poperechny dumped a post-celebratory cooler full of ice on him. “We’ve played together before and that’s why they come back.”
Gillons’, meanwhile, made it two in a row in the women’s division with an easy 7-0 win over Taggs.
Sam Bell netted three goals, Laureen Peters added two, and Caitlin Hyatt and Sara Roach notched singles.
Peters got the ball rolling with a picture-perfect finish on a give-and-go play between her and high school standout Roach.
“It was a give-and-go with Sara Roach and I down the field, and she set up me up perfectly for a one-timer straight in the middle,” Peters explained.
After a slow-paced first half Gillons’ led 2-0, but the storm gates opened in a big way in the second half as the defending champs pushed the ball deep in Taggs’ end throughout.
Gillons’ also beat Taggs 5-1 in last year’s final.
However, unlike last season when Gillons’ went undefeated all the way to the league final, they faced some adversity this year—including an opening night loss to Taggs to begin the season—but the team seemed to come together at the right time.
They won their final five games—including back-to-back 8-0 and 4-0 shutouts of Taggs—and that momentum carried into last week’s final.
“We just gelled as a team, learned where everyone is going to be and the different patterns that everybody runs,” Peters said. “It just kind of came together the last couple weeks.”
Gillons’ had to do it without veteran Sarah Gould, who was away working as a sports camp instructor at the International Peace Garden.
The always-vocal Amy Wilson-Hands held the fort in net with the shutout, including a penalty-kick stop late in the game to preserve the goose egg.
“She’s calling the game the whole time from the back and she’s solid in the net, knows when she needs to come out and challenge and knows when to stay back,” Peters enthused.
