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Sports Oakville Beaver By Sean Durack SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 2007 41 Overtime goal denies Titans under-13 crown Girls' team edged in Ontario Cup final VAUGHAN -- It took until the dying minutes of the second of two 15minute overtime periods to finally settle on a champion in the girls' under13 Ontario Cup final Saturday afternoon, a game that featured the Oakville Titans and Newmarket United Lasers -- the two top teams in the South Region Soccer League (SRSL). The Titans squad -- which boasted a 15-2-1 record in league play this summer and added an unblemished 12-0 record in tournaments -- exhibited the will and resolve of a champion. But in the end, it was Newmarket that emerged as the victor, edging out the Titans in dramatic fashion, 3-2. The decisive goal was set up when a Newmarket corner kick found its way into a crowd in front of Oakville goalie Lauren Swant. Swant, who played a strong game throughout, turned aside the first attempt by the Lasers, but Newmarket converted the rebound for the win. Titans head coach Paolo Tino had a few things he would like to have seen done differently, but he congratulated a strong Newmarket team for its win. "We were in control of a lot of the game, but unfortunately we had to play against the wind (in extra time). It wasn't just a slight breeze, it was very windy," said Tino, noting that a late-game knee injury to Jennifer Soehner, suffered from blocking a shot, also put a constraint on the team at the end. "The girls were in awe, which gave Newmarket time to set up for the goal. It was a good game... they capitalized." The scoring started in the first half as Oakville's Elena Arevalo fired a shot by Lauren Cadel to give the Titans some momentum and a 1-0 lead. The Lasers quickly answered back, however, evening up the tally when Laura Stacey launched a swift ball past Swant in the 20th minute. Much of the second half was contained to the neutral zone, but both sides displayed patience in waiting for a genuine opening -- something that didn't come around too often in the defensive game. Oakville held lead in second half Oakville's Kristyn Capizzano carried the game to 2-1 for Oakville in the 51st minute, but Stacey quickly replied for Newmarket, scoring her second of the game with another hard shot to even the score once again. Minutes before kickoff, Lasers coach Bill Connery wasn't about to take his SRSL foe lightly. His charges, he suggested, would need to be on their toes and keep their rivals on their heels if they had any intentions of coming away with the victory. "They're a tough team, and they've gotten better as the year progressed," said Connery. "We watched them play a couple times, and we played them once. "We were number one in the province (in league play), and they were number two," he added. The Lasers collected 180 goals while giving up just 12 in league and tourney play this year. The Oakville squad, which will remain virtually the same for next season, will still get a kick at closing out the season on a winning note when the Titans meet Niagara Falls in the league final later this month. The original league final was postponed as a result of lightning, and a make-up date has yet to be confirmed. The Titans will move on next season to the U14 loop of the Ontario Youth Soccer League, the province's premier league for youth soccer. -- The U13 girls' Titans were one of three Oakville Soccer Club teams to compete in Ontario Cup finals last weekend. Coverage of the U13 boys' Raiders and U15 boys' Fusion championship games appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Oakville Beaver. DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER HEADS UP: Oakville Titans player Madeline Galep (left) heads the ball, to the apparent horror of a Newmarket United Lasers opponent, during Saturday's Ontario Cup under 13 girls' final in Vaughan. The Titans lost a heartbreaker, 3-2 in extra time. Canadian soccer team ousted Unfortunately for Kara Lang and Diana Matheson, their first World Cup experience was a short one. The Oakville natives and their Canadian teammates were eliminated from the FIFA Women's World Cup yesterday (Thursday) with a 2-2 draw against Australia. Canada nearly got the win it needed in order to advance to the playoff round. Christine Sinclair scored in the 85th minute to give Canada a 2-1 lead, but the Australians notched the equalizer during injury time. Melissa Tancredi had Canada's opening marker, scoring 37 seconds into the contest -- two seconds short of setting a FIFA Women's World Cup fastestgoal record. Canada finished the World Cup with a 1-1-1 record. In its other games, the team defeated Ghana 5-0 and fell 2-1 to Norway. This was Canada's fourth consecutive appearance in the FIFA Women's World Cup. The team's next major competition will be the CONCACAF qualifications for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. Rugby side competitive, but 0-2 at World Cup By all accounts, the Canadian men's rugby team has played well at this month's Rugby World Cup in France. That hasn't been enough, however, for the squad to earn a win in its first two games. Canada fell to 0-2 with a 29-16 loss Sunday to Fiji. The team, which includes Oakville's Sean-Michael Stephen, was within one score of the Fijians before a late turnover allowed Fiji to score an insurance try. Canada currently sits last in the Pool B standings. The team will play Japan, which is also winless, in its next game, slated for Tuesday, Sept. 25. The Canadians will wrap up preliminary-round play Sept. 29 against 2-0 Australia. Making the loss to Fiji even more crippling is the fact that it almost certainly rules out a top-3 finish in the Pool B standings, which would have meant an automatic berth in the 2011 World Cup -- and increased program funding from the International Rugby Board. www.icesports.com 905-845-6989