30 Sports Oakville Beaver www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell Broker of Record 905-844-4444 BROKERAGE I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 Hurricane strikes in Vaughan Under-12 girls' squad wins Ontario Cup crown By Sean Durack SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER IN CONTROL: Ten-year-old Veronica Bosco, pictured controlling the ball against a Richmond Hill opponent, scored a goal in Sunday's Ontario Cup under-12 girls' final to help the Oakville Hurricanes win 2-0. VAUGHAN -- Rain played a factor in last weekend's Ontario Cup under-12 girls' soccer final, but making a bigger impact was the prevailing Hurricane. The Oakville Hurricane earned the Oakville Soccer Club its first Cup title of the season Sunday at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, opening the scoring in the first two minutes and adding another goal in the late going to blank the Richmond Hill Raiders 2-0. Sarah D'Aurizio provided the winning marker shortly after kickoff, blasting a shot past Raiders goaltender Jamie Smith from the top of the 18-yard box. With seven minutes left in the contest, Oakville's Veronica Bosco, a ten-year-old playing up, added an insurance tally. The Ontario Cup title marks the first such crown for an Oakville u12 girls' team since the Oakville Cobras did it in 1998, defeating the London Comets 3-1 on penalty kicks. The Raiders, who had posted one-goal victories over the St. Catharines Jets and Ajax Strikers to get to the championship game, were stifled by a hungry Hurricane team, though Raiders forwards did get their fair share of opportunities. The Oakville side took advantage of several fortunate bounces in the showdown that could have promptly and radically changed the face of the Ontario Soccer Association final. More than once, the ball managed to find its way behind Hurricane goaltender Marlee Maracle, who, as has been the case this season, played a solid, stand-up game. At the 29th minute, Oakville's Jacqueline Samuels kicked aside a ball that was approaching the goal line. In another tense moment, a Richmond Hill shot hit the crossbar and bounced directly down and next to Maracle, only to roll away from the goal line instead of into the net. Wet field made for sloppy game The D'Aurizio goal in the opening minutes set the game's pace in front of approximately 100 spectators and under a dark sky that was threatening to dump more rain. The weather became an inconvenience for both teams, as the early-morning downpour left the artificial turf sopping wet, resulting in many misfired throw-ins from both under12 sides. "They usually play better than this. It's the nerves of being here," said Hurricanes head coach Katie Bond. It was the first time this year, the coach noted, that the Hurricane has played on an artificial surface. "It's a difficult thing to adjust to when you're used to the grass. It's a much faster game," she said. Employed by the Premier League Chelsea FC prior to landing a post with Oakville, Bond said the Cup crown is only the beginning for her team of 1995-born players. She See Keeper page 31 Oakville Soccer Club www.oakville-soccer.on.ca MEN'S OPEN FALL LEAGUE BEGINS: WEEK OF OCTOBER 1 ENDS: WEEK OF NOVEMBER 30 WEDNESDAY NIGHT LEAGUE: 7PM & 9PM GAME TIMES THURSDAY NIGHT LEAGUE: 7PM & 9PM GAME TIMES LOCATION: RIVER OAKS ALL WEATHER TURF FIELD (GUARANTEE OF 8 GAMES) INCLUDES: 9 WEEK SEASON INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED (MAXIMUM 20 PLAYERS/TEAM) * 1 WEEK CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (*BASED ON TEAM RESULTS) TEAM JERSEY REFEREES $2000.00/TEAM - $100.00/INDIVIDUAL REGISTER IN PERSON AT THE OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB 504 IROQUOIS SHORE ROAD UNIT 11 Visit www.oakville-soccer.on.ca for complete details The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Sponsored by: