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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2008 U17 World Cup spotlight nothing new for Szwed By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It has been anything but a typical year for Caroline Szwed. It's not every teenager that spends days at a time with a documentary film crew standing over their shoulder. But that's exactly the situation Szwed found herself in as the CBC filmed Girls of Summer, which followed the journey of several players, including Szwed's Loyola classmate Angelika Uremovich, as they battled for a spot on the national under-17 soccer team. That process culminated last week as Szwed and the Canadian squad played in the inaugural Under-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand. (Uremovich also made the team but an injury prevented her from participating.) Szwed said the Canadian squad went Caroline Szwed in with high hopes for the tournament, but an unfortunate draw matched them up against Germany in the quarter-finals. The European champions won 3-1 and went on to win the bronze medal. "We were expecting to do better, but we were very proud of our group performance," Szwed said. Canada was undefeated in group play, beating the hosts 1-0 in its opening game and then playing to two draws, 1-1 against Columbia and 0-0 against Denmark. Despite having the same record, Denmark would take first in the pool based on goal differential. Although the players in the documentary -- which can be viewed at cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/girlsofsummer -- expressed their fears of not making the team, Szwed said unusual circumstances of the tryouts, the presence of cameras and interviews helped them prepare for the World Cup. Though it was the biggest tournament of her life, Szwed wasn't nervous. "There were tons of people there and a lot of media but honestly, I didn't really notice," she said. "Nobody was nervous when there were cameras around. We kind of got used to it." Szwed, a midfielder, played every minute of Canada's four games at the tournament. "It was an awesome experience. It helped me as a player. Every game you learn more and more," she said. Szwed, 17, hopes to continue playing for Canada with the Under-20 squad, which is currently playing its own World Cup in Chile. In the meantime, Szwed will continue to train in Vaughan with her national team coach Bryan Rosenfeld, who is also the Ontario Soccer Association's director of player development. In addition to preparing for future national team camps, Szwed will also be getting ready to start her college career at West Virginia University, where she will follow in the footsteps of a pair of graduating Oakville residents, Amanda Cicchini and Deana Everrett. LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: Loyola's Dylan Cooper (left) dekes around Abbey Park goaltender Mike Burwell to score his first of two goals Thursday at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre, helping the Hawks to a 7-5 win over the rival Eagles in high school boys' hockey. Loyola claims rivalry game against Eagles So far this high school hockey season, the Loyola Hawks have managed to keep both teams in the game. Goal scoring hasn't been an issue for the Hawks, who have netted 10 in their first two games. Keeping the puck out of their own net appears to be a challenge, however, as Loyola allowed five goals in each of those contests. Defence cost Loyola in Wednesday's season opener against T.A. Blakelock, when the Tigers scored three third-period goals to down the Hawks 5-3. Loyola bounced back Thursday to defeat the rival Abbey Park Eagles 7-5 at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre, building a 4-0 lead early before the Eagles rallied to make a game of it. "Our guys think they can just keep outscoring teams, but it comes down to defence wins games," Hawks coach Larry Litzgus said after the win over Abbey Park. "We've got all the offence we need, but we need to make sure our defence can clear the puck out a little stronger and clear out the front of the net." Abbey Park pulled within one goal on two occasions, but Loyola's Dylan Cooper scored immediately after both times. Dan Kurtz, Max Bragg, Alex Germano, Carmine Chiappetta and Braydon Chow also scored for the Hawks, with Josh Wilson (two), Andrew Smith, Conor Shanahan and Tyler Schlonies replying for the Eagles. Cooper, a former AAA rep player, is already enjoying his first taste of high school hockey. "(Abbey Park and Loyola) has always been a big rivalry. All the fans come chirp, and it's a fun game to play in," he said. "This has been great, a lot of fun. We're going to have a good year." John Nardozzi earned five assists for the Hawks Wednesday, with Chiappetta recording four helpers. Justin Singer earned the win in goal. Schlonies (goal, two assists) had a three-point outing for the Eagles, who also lost their season-opener Monday, 65 to the E.C. Drury Spartans. Despite the 0-2 start, Abbey Park coach Larry Rinaldo is pleased with what he's seen so far. "I don't like to lose, but there's some things coming along," said Rinaldo, particularly happy with how the Eagles kept playing hard after falling behind by four goals to Loyola. "We had a big turnover this year, a lot of players (from last year) graduated so we've got some young guys. I like this team." Abbey Park's next game is scheduled for Wednesday, when it takes on Blakelock at Glen Abbey. Loyola is off until Thursday, when it clashes with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at Oakville Arena. Both games are slated for 3:20 p.m. starts. -- Jon Kuiperij All Pots & Pans 20% OFF River Glen Mews Plaza Making Your Cooking Fun & Easy ing Fu · Knives and Garnishing Tools · Spice Racks · Small Appliances · Cookware and Tableware · Linens, Aprons and Mitts · Bakeware · Barware · Espresso Makers and Accessories Hours: Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday CLOSED 2530 6th Line, Oakville (905) 257-3500