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58 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2009 Breaking up is hard to do Oakville Phantoms disband after nine successful seasons By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It didn't take Peter Uremovich long to figure out he had something special on his hands. From the first tryouts, he could see he was going to have a difficult time selecting a team because of the number of talented players. That first summer, 2001, he entered not one but two girls' soccer teams in several seven-a-side tournaments. More often than not, the two Oakville squads ended up facing one another in the final. "They were talented, athletic kids," he said. Over the next nine seasons, the Oakville Phantoms would lose just 12 of 151 league games, compiling an .871 winning percentage. They would win two Ontario Cups, a pair of provincial indoor titles, the gold medal at the Ontario Summer Games and three League Cup titles. Though none of those championships came this summer -- the team's final season together -- Uremovich said the team achieved its greatest accomplishment in 2009. The Phantoms finished the season with a record of 11-1-1, outscoring its opposition 42-6 and finishing atop the Ontario Youth Soccer League standings for the fifth year in a row. "Ontario Cups and tournaments are hit and "To get the most miss. You can have a bad points in the league, day or have a bad draw," you have to play the Uremovich said. "To get the most points in the whole season and league, you have to play be consistent... To the whole season and be do that from underconsistent year after 14 to under-18, year. To do that from that's something under-14 to under-18, that's something not too not too many teams can do." many teams can do." In fact, only one other team -- Erin Mills -- Phantoms coach even managed to remain Peter Uremovich in the province's top league for that entire five-year stretch without being relegated to a lower level. Goalkeeper Taryn McKenna thought each year that rivals would close the gap on the Phantoms, but Oakville continued to roll on each year, even after making the jump to the highest level of competition. "When we were younger, we won all the titles and I thought we happened to have a good group of girls," she said Monday before leaving for Dalhousie University. "In the OYSL, I knew there would be tougher teams so when we moved up I always thought, `This year might not be as successful.'" But the Phantoms were, year after year. In "When we moved addition to finishing first up (leagues) I in the league each of the always thought, five OYSL seasons, they won the two Ontario `This year might not Cups, made two finals be as successful.'" and reached the semifi Phantoms keeper nals in the other year. Both McKenna and Taryn McKenna defender Emily Maganja said the Phantoms' victory at the Ontario Summer Games was definitely a highlight. Oakville found itself competing for the gold medal with London Supernova, the team that had beat the Phantoms in the previous year's Ontario Cup final. Oakville also had to deal with some adversity in the championship game. "One of our best players (Angelika Uremovich) got food poisoning and couldn't play," McKenna said. "But everyone stepped up to the plate and we won 2-1." It was that ability to raise their level of play that set the Phantoms apart. "They all have that competitive spirit," their coach said. "As coaches, you try to nourish that in them." Peter Uremovich credits his assistants over the years with keeping the approach to the game fresh. "They were all different and unique and added something," he said. "It didn't get stale from me talking to them all the time." Coach was encouraging, constructive McKenna said there was never any worries of the players tuning out the head coach, though. "He's not a coach that screams on the sidelines," she said. "If you did something wrong, he'd tell you to work on it after the game. People came to the team because of him." "It was a lot of hard work in practice and the players always believed we could do it," Maganja said, "but he gave us encouragement and that little extra push when we needed it." Now, with the Phantoms' season over, Uremovich says he'll follow some of Oakville's other rep teams as they wrap up their season, but he'll also keep an eye on his former players. He plans to attend an exhibition game between McMaster University and Niagara University, a contest that will feature six former Phantoms: Shelby Dawdy, Tara Dawdy, Alicja Giftopoulos, Carley Luongo and Sam McLaren on MEMORIES: The Oakville Phantoms girls' soccer team has enjoyed plenty of success in nine years together. In top photo, the under-10 Phantoms surround the League Cup trophy they won in 2001; in middle photo, Oakville's Sam Bright (right) controls the ball in last year's Ontario Cup final; in bottom photo, the four remaining original members of the team are pictured (left to right, Ali Palmer, Angelika Uremovich, Emily Maganja and Taryn McKenna). See Soccer page 59