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Iroquois Ridge's Nick Casola uses Notre Dame's Angelo Cutaia for a little leverage to head the ball in Monday's Halton senior boys' AAA soccer final. Iroquois Ridge won 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Marc Coulter. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver Ridge rallies to edge Irish in AAA soccer final By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff 37 | Thursday, May 28, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com As Alex Golubovich's cross sailed toward Marc Coulter, the Iroquois Ridge forward had only one thought. The Trailblazers had been pressuring Notre Dame throughout the second 10-minute overtime but had come up empty handed. If they didn't do something soon, their fate, and the Halton senior boys' AAA soccer final would be decided in penalty kicks. "Just put it in," Coulter said. "That was all that was in my mind." Though he briefly battled to control the ball, Coulter got his shot away. It found its way past a couple of Irish defenders and eluded the Notre Dame keeper. Seconds later the whistle blew to end a 2-1 Iroquois Ridge win. "The whole season, this is what we've been battling and fighting for, so we just had to keep pushing no matter what," Coulter said after his team had rallied from a 1-0 deficit. "This is one more step toward our ultimate goal (OFSAA). We'd come so far, we didn't want to lose now." Iroquois Ridge played Cathedral in a Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference semifinal Wednesday. Results were not available at press time. The Trailblazers came into the game as the favourites, having gone 5-1-1 to finish second in the Halton AAA division. They had also scored a convincing 5-1 win over the Fighting Irish earlier in the season. But Notre Dame could not be discounted. Despite finishing fourth in the league, the Irish had upset first-place Corpus Christi 3-2 in overtime just four days earlier. With that in mind, Iroquois Ridge coach Eric Keunne was taking nothing for granted. "Soccer is not math," he said. "You can't say you've got this and you've got this, this is what will happen. You have to make it happen." And in the first half, it was Notre Dame that made it happen. In the 15th minute, Alberto Posocco had his shot blocked. It came right back to him and he unleashed a rocket into the top left corner of the net. Using the wind to their advantage, the Trailblazers set up a series of corner kicks late in the half but were unable to capitalize. Facing a stiff wind in the second, Iroquois Ridge actually controlled more of the play. It had a great opportunity off a corner kick, but Irish defender Matthew Grilli was there to head it away to preserve his team's lead. Iroquois Ridge continued to apply pressure and Nick Jedryk, who scored his team's lone goal in a 1-0 semifinal win over T.A. Blakelock, made a strong run up the right side midway through the second half. He was taken down in the box, setting up a penalty kick for the Trailblazers. Golubovich made no mistake, firing his shot into the bottom right corner to tie the game. The Trailblazers had one more great chance as Coulter set up Dusan Kovacevic, but once again it was Grilli to the rescue, blocking a shot at the otherwise open net. Both teams were missing key players for the game. Notre Dame was playing without Matthew Monteiro, who scored the overtime winner in the semifinal victory over Corpus Christi. Iroquois Ridge had four players participating in an American showcase tournament, with two of them making it back just in time for the start of the final. Blakelock relay members confident heading into regional track and field meet Continued from pg. 36 on track to achieving its goal. They easily won the senior girls' 4x100m relay Thursday at the GHAC meet, finishing more than two seconds ahead of St. Thomas Aquinas with a time of 51.12 seconds. McLean is in Grade 10, but certainly has no trouble keeping up. In addition to the relay win, she earned gold medals in the junior girls' 200m (27.76 seconds) and 400m (1:03.3) at GHAC. She very nearly added another, finishing second in the 100m after running the final on the heels of the 400m. McLean won't run the heavy slate of races at regionals (today and tomorrow in Brampton), dropping the 100m. That would have been unthinkable prior to this year. Charles Allen, her coach with the Oakville Legion Track Club, had been trying to convince her to run the 400m for a couple of years but McLean had always resisted. "I absolutely hated it," she said. "Oh my gosh, you just had to run so fast for so long." But she had success and quickly warmed up to the middle distance race. "I think the reason is it's more of a mental challenge," she said. "Around 250 metres you're wondering if you have any more and you have to give yourself more." "She's not just pure speed," said Blakelock coach Pam Bovey. "She's very strong and she has the stamina and that's why she can be successful." Despite her wins, McLean wasn't happy with her performance at GHAC, saying she can post better times. Meanwhile, Armstrong is threatening her personal best time each time out. She set a new personal standard in the 100m two weeks before GHAC, running a 12.27 to shave three one-hundredths off her previous best. At GHAC, she won the junior girls' race comfortably with a time of 12.36. "She's doing those times and in not perfect conditions -- it was very windy and cold," Bovey said. Armstrong also won the 200m, finishing in 25.76 seconds. And like McLean, she had a change of heart. Initially attracted to track because of the individual nature of the sport, Armstrong now enjoys the relay. "I love working with others," she said. "It makes it fun." And while Armstrong and McLean can burn up the track with the best of them, Blakelock's sprinting depth was on display at GHAC. With Scott missing the meet to play for the Oakville Thunder at the national volleyball championships, Rougier subbed in. The Grade 9 student also qualified for regionals in the midget girls' 80m hurdles. Regardless of the lineup, McLean says the team feeds off one another. "Before the race we get in a huddle and we motivate each other," McLean said. "I always run faster in the relays because of the rush." And the fact that the Tigers continue to win without a single Grade 12 runner is a source of pride for the team. "We feel really confident," Armstrong said. "It shows how much work we've put in that we're beating older girls." Abbey Park's Nicole Parsons was the only other triple gold medallist at the GHAC meet, winning the midget girls' 400m, 800m and 300m hurdles. (see Friday's Oakville Beaver or visit insidehalton.com for more on Parsons) St. Thomas Aquinas sprinter Isabelle Caruana swept the midget girls 100m (13.22) and 200m (27.16) races. Abbey Park's Yihang Qin won the midget boys' long (5.31m) and triple jump (11.43). Qin also qualified for regionals in the 200m. Kristin O'Neill, a two-time OFSAA champ in the 800m, doesn't look to be ready to surrender her title. She crossed the line in the senior girls' 800m in 2:21.3 to win by more than 4½ seconds. The Grade 11 Loyola student also won the 400m, an event in which she's won two OFSAA bronze medals. She was the only runner to break the minute barrier with a time of 58.55 seconds. Loyola teammate Tamia Noel scored an impressive win in the midget girls' shot put. Her winning throw of 10.77m was almost a metre and a half better than the runner up. Other winners from the GHAC meet were Abbey Park's Matt Hayami (midget boys' 400m, 58.8); Ben Currier (midget boys' 3,000m, 10:23.65); Holy Trinity's Kevin Bokelaar (junior boys' shot put, 12.75m) Iroquois Ridge's Mathieu Marek (junior boys' triple jump, 11.85); Asima Iqbal (senior girls' long jump) 4.64m; Erika Bollinger (senior girls' 100, 26.29); White Oaks' Korey Loi (senior boys' long jump, 5.61m); Owen Wheeler (senior boys' triple jump, 5.61m); Garth Webb's Evan Notley (senior boys' 2000m steeplechase, 6:42.03); King's Christian Collegiate's; Kirsten Reid (senior girls' high jump, 1.45m); St. Thomas Aquinas (senior boys' 4x100m relay, 46.55).