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SPORTS & LEISURE Late goal ends Mustangs' hopes of Ontario Cup title EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer On most occasions, the thought of using penalty kicks to decide a match would start the stomachs of many soccer players churning. But the Georgetown Mustangs would have actually preferred to push their Ontario Cup under-13 girls' quarter-final contest against the defending-champion Brampton's Brams United Blaze to a shootout rather than lose the way things turned out on Saturday afternoon at Cedarvale Park. Visiting Brams United had tested the resolve of the Mustangs' defence during 90 minutes of regulation and then through two 10-minute overtime periods and yet the score remained tied at one with just about a minute remaining. A shootout appeared imminent until a harmless-looking Brampton push up the right wing suddenly resulted in the ball getting through the short side and into the back of the Mustang goal, leaving many of the 150-or-so fans in disbelief. And the goal scorer was Georgetown resident Shauna Patterson. "It was unfortunate, but we did well though against the team that won it all last year," said Mustangs' coach Tony Glen. "We were kind of thinking it was going to go to penalties there. That one hurts. The game didn't deserve to end on a goal like that." It's a rarity for a Georgetown team to make it to the late stages of the Ontario Cup tournament, and just to get to the final eight, the Mustangs had to win a qualifying tournament a day's drive away in Thunder Bay last month. The Blaze and Georgetown tied 2-2 in a regular-season match last week and the visitors were no doubt mindful of their loss to the eventual-champion Mustangs in the recent Robbie International tournament in Scarborough. Brams United was the sharper side from the outset of Saturday's quarter-final and opened the scoring just 10 minutes into the first half on a breakaway. Georgetown rebounded, however, with a spectacular 25-yard free kick goal by stopper Daniella Campana. Richelle Greenwood and Emily Dulhanty shared the Mustang goalkeeping duties as is custom and they were able to frustrate Brampton shooters with the help of stingy defenders Maggie Darling, Campana, Rebecca Dickinson, Leslie Hale, Sheena Georgetown Mustangs' sweeper Maggie Darling (right) clears away a scoring attempt by Brampton's Shauna Patterson during the Ontario Cup under-13 girls' quarter-final matchup on Saturday at Cedarvale Park. Patterson, a Georgetown native, shocked the host Mustangs by scoring late in extra time to give Brams United a 2-1 victory and a berth in the provincial semifinals. Photo by Eamonn Maher Glen and Amanda Larade. in the Ontario Cup semifinals, while the Striker Jaden Todd nearly won it for Mustangs still have several regular-season the home side in extra time but her left- games remaining. footed shot was tipped away by the Brampton goalie for a corner kick. (Eamonn Maher can be reached at The Blaze will now face Richmond Hill emaher@independentfreepress.com) Wildcats claw way to crown EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer The Halton Hills Wildcats will get to put their nameplate on the inaugural Ontario Minor Football League Junior Varsity championship trophy after defeating the Orangeville Outlaws 21-14 at Eugene Melnyk Field in Toronto on Sunday night. The key play of the game came with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 14. Wildcat Colton Vetro returned a punt 35 yards into Orangeville territory, and a 15-yard facemasking penalty put the ball at the Outlaws' 10yard line. Running back John Leckie then rushed in for his third touchdown of the game on the next play, but the drama wasn't over. Twice in the final five minutes, the Outlaws started offensive drives with good field possession-- including a fumble recovery at the Halton Hills' 38-yard line-- and promptly turned over the ball to the Wildcats on downs. "We talked about it from day one that we had the type of team that could do some damage and be successful," said head coach Dan Ralph. "It was really nice for the 13 guys who were playing in their last game to go out with a win. And the 11 kids from Milton who played for us, well, I don't think we could have done it without them." The JV Wildcats placed second in the regular season with a 7-2 record, which included a 40-14 trouncing of Orangeville. The Outlaws, however, shocked the first-place Toronto Jr. Argos 25-24 in the semifinals, while Halton Hills advanced to the final by hammering the TNT Express 40-14 in Georgetown. Employing a tightly-knit 34-man roster, Ralph and offensive co-ordinator Mike Long had the luxury of calling on an experienced group that suffered just one significant injury all season. Cornerback Dave Green was again a defensive catalyst for the 'Cats, making one interception and recovering a fumble. Kicker Rob Cutting provided all three converts and quarterback Simon Treviranus threw a short swing pass for Leckie's second major score in the second quarter. A couple of other teams in the Halton Hills organization also enjoyed winning seasons in the atom house league (11-12 yrs.). The Bobcats went 10-0 during the regular campaign, only to be upset on the Day of Champions, while the Wildcats finished third overall. JV head coach Ralph said that recruiting for next season probably just got a little easier. "It's been a nice way to start," he said of the OMFL, which was established last year by several teams unhappy with their standing with the Ontario Varsity Football League. The Wildcats have been in operation since 1998. The Halton Hills Wildcats captured the inaugural Ontario Minor Football League Junior Varsity championship at Eugene Melnyk Field in Toronto on Sunday by defeating the Orangeville Outlaws 21-14. The Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with five minutes left and made two strong defensive stands to preserve the win. Among those celebrating are, from left, Jake Hetherington, Simon Treviranus, Kyle Sutherland, David Van Kooten, Victor Pek, Isaac Lim and David Green. Photo by Samantha Ralph