St. Thomas Soccer Club
Can envision top three next season
By Ben Forrest, St. Thomas Times-Journal
The St. Thomas Premier Division men's soccer team poses before their final game of the season - a 3-3 tie
with Benfica. Back row from left: Moises Morales, Nolan Gilmour, Anthony Camacho Jr., Arjan Veldman,
Mohammed Tarhuni, Ben Moniz, Cesar Granillo and coach Anthony Camacho. Front row: Greg Westra,
Jamie Silva, Andrew Medeiros, Robert Cornelius and Alonso Flores.
Ben Forrest/QMI Agency/Times-Journal
Head coach Anthony Camacho saw enough potential in the St. Thomas Premier Division men's soccer team this season to think it could finish near the top of the standings. But he figures complacency at times led to the team's sixth-place finish among 10 teams in the Western Ontario Soccer League's top loop. “You see all the top teams, we played very well against them but we seem to get lackadaisical when we get against a bottom team or a weaker team and take them for granted,” Camacho said in an interview. “They will surprise you sometimes, because once you let teams like that in games they build their confidence and they hold you out for a tie and sometimes surprise you by beating you.”
St. Thomas had a seasons of ups and down en route to five wins, four ties and nine losses. The team started slowly, losing its first three games and tying a fourth before finally winning over Bosnia. They followed that with three consecutive losses and a tie before a win over Portuguese. But they improved in the final leg of the regular season, capping the season with two wins and a tie in their final three games. “I'm very proud of my boys,” Camacho said. “They seemed to step up when their backs were against the wall. At one point they were probably thinking they were going to get relegated (to a lower division). “But the boys stepped up the last three games and played to their potential and did what they had to do.” The team had a mix of old and new players and it took time to find chemistry, Camacho said. But most, if not all, players should be back next season and many plan to play indoor soccer together this winter.
Camacho plans to coach the team during the indoor season and return as head coach for next summer's outdoor season. If the group pulls together and plays to its potential, Camacho thinks it will contend for one of the top three spots in the division next year. “Absolutely,” he said. “I have no doubt.”
St. Thomas First Division soccer team looking to move back up after next season
By Ben Forrest, St. Thomas Times-Journal
St. Thomas First Division goalkeeper Matt Limbrick clears the ball during a 3-0 home loss
to the London Scottish Soccer Club at Athletic Park last Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013.
(Ben Forrest, Times-Journal)
Only a handful of players on the St. Thomas First Division men's soccer team this season were members of last year's squad. Many were relatively young and many were drawn from the city's Fourth East Division team, which competes three levels lower on the Western Ontario Soccer League depth chart. Those factors go a long way to explaining St. Thomas's last-place finish in First Division this season with three wins, two ties and 13 losses.
“It really was a rebuild year for us this year,” said coach Gerry Moniz. But there are plenty of good players in the system, which Moniz said bodes well for next season. “I think it'll be a strong team next year,” he said. The team has three players – Keegan Andrews, Peter Kavcic and Shawn Barrow – who are ready to move up and challenge for spots on the Premier Division team, which plays at the WOSL's highest level. But Moniz expects the core of this year's team to return next season, saying they're committed to improving.
Moniz added he was happy with the way the team stuck together through the year. “We take a lot of positives out of the year,” he said. St. Thomas has been relegated to Second Division next season by virtue of the last-place finish this year, but its goal is return to First Division the following year. “I'm sure with the players we have and the young players coming up in the system that we'll be able to do that,” Moniz said.
The purpose of the St. Thomas Soccer History website is to preserve data and information for people who are interested in the history of the local soccer events.
We will add more articles to the website of past and future events and invite people to provide articles and pictures.
This website should become a resource centre for future generations which are interested in the history of local soccer activities.
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