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Local players part of national championship soccer team
London Supernova stars Rachel Bedek, left, Bailey Maxwell and Carlee Myles enjoy the golden taste of victory after winning the Canadian championship Monday. The three St. Joseph’s High School students helped Supernova beat Manitoba 1-0 in the final.
Wednesday October 11, 2006
By Karen Otto
Times-Journal Staff
A trio of St. Joseph’s High School students are feeling the flush of a golden victory, even though they admit to feeling tired. Bailey Maxwell and Carlee Myles, both 16, and Rachel Bedek, 15, are members of the London Supernova under-16 girls’ soccer team that won the gold medal Monday at the Canadian championships.
Winning 1-0 against Manitoba made all the hard work and the years of dedication to the sport worth it, the trio said Tuesday during a break at school. “That was kind of our momentum going into it (the tournament),” Myles said. “All the hard work, all the endline sprints, the suicide drills. It was all for that week.”
Weekend to remember for local soccer
Tuesday September 20, 2005
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal staff
It was a three-for-three weekend for the St. Thomas Soccer Club. Each of the three St. Thomas teams in Challenge Cup Intermediate division finals won their games Sunday in the London and District Youth Soccer League. St. Thomas Titans won the under-16 boys Cup, St. Thomas Zellers handily won the under-16 girls crown and St. Thomas Pro Finders found a way to the under-12 girls title.
Under-16 girls
Nikki VanderWallen and her Zellers teammates completed a double-double blanking the Southwest Devils 6-0 in the under-16 Intermediate girls Cup final. The team also won the LDYSL league going undefeated with 15 wins and three ties. "The goal was to end up with the double," coach Curtis Langley said. "Very few teams win both." VanderWallen had the hat trick in the final while Beth Houghton scored twice and Jessica Cassidy once. Keeper Erika Lindsay recorded the shutout. "We played very, very well. We were passing and moving the ball well," Langley said. "Our strength has definitely been scoring." St. Thomas scored 70 goals in 18 league games while allowing 21. In Cup games St. Thomas Zellers won 4-1, 8-2 and 5-1 in their semifinal. VanderWallen led the division scoring 28 goals while Tessa Parkes placed eighth with 15.
Under-12 girls
Breah Talan has become a clutch scorer. Talan scored game-winning goals in both the semifinal and final carrying St. Thomas Pro Finders to the under-12 Intermediate girls Cup. Talan's goal midway through the second half of the final proved to be winner in beating the Lucan-Ilderton Jets 3-1. Deanna Barrow and Kendra Annett also scored. Tied 1-1 at halftime, keeper Rachel McVety kept the Jets off the board over the second half. "From the beginning we didn't want to accept a second-place finish," coach Ken Jackson said. "Bottom line is the girls were determined." Talan scored the golden goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Woodstock in a semifinal Saturday. Kelsey Gaudreault also scored for St. Thomas. Goalie Becca Churchill had the shutout in a 1-0 quarter-final win over Tillsonburg. "We're doing extremely well to win the Challenge Cup," Jackson said of his team that sits third in league play.
Under-16 boys
The St. Thomas Titans have proven they can play with the top two teams. A 4-2 win over Norwest gave the Titans the under-16 Intermediate boys Cup with Chris Van Wiechen, Brad DeBekker, Kyle Toth and Scott Gordon scoring. "We stuck to the game plan," coach Janus DeBekker said. "I think we had 70 per cent of the ball possession. After five minutes we were controlling the game." Norwest scored three minutes into the game before Van Wiechen and Brad DeBekker put St. Thomas up 2-1. It was tied 2-2 at halftime with Norwest scoring in a penalty kick. "The guys were very disciplined. We kept our composure," DeBekker said. "There were a lot yellow cards." St. Thomas goalie Robert Chapman was selected as most sportsmanlike player. "The boys were coming off the high from Saturday," coach DeBekker said, referring to a 1-0 overtime win over first-place Byron. Je-Vohn Francis, the team's top scorer, ended the game three minutes into extra time. "We already had beat their goalie three times (in regulation) but their sweeper saved the ball before it went in." It was Byron's first loss in league or Cup play this season. St. Thomas, sitting in fifth place, has five wins, three ties and eight losses in the regular season. Norwest is second at 9-2-4. "Just the right attitude," said DeBekker. "We had our boys at the field early and warmed up. That was very important."
Ralph Chircop
History of the St. Thomas Soccer Club
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