Archives 2008
St. Thomas Soccer Club: Women's Rec League Play Off Scores
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St. Thomas Masters - 2008 Third Division Champions
St. Thomas 3rd Division East - September 16, Portuguese Club - Cup Final Winners
ST.THOMAS 2:1 ST.COLUMBAN
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1st Annual Niagara United Soccer Club Recreational Tournament - Result
Girls U10 Division - PDF Document
Girls U15 Division - PDF Document
Festival Results
Five St. Thomas teams played in the Festival:
U-12 boys
U-14 boys
U-16 boys
U-12 girls
U-15 girls
U-14 boys won the tournament
U-15 girls were finalists
Attached please find the detailed results.
Ansells U17s win Challenge Cup
Posted By Times-Journal Staff
The Ansells U-17 soccer team won its sixth straight game and added to a first-place championship title over the weekend by winning the London and District Youth Soccer League Challenge Cup. Ansells defeated Kincardine and Southend for the victory.
Key players in the semi finals for St. Thomas were Greg Lyle with four goals Matt Limbrick and Peter Kavcic each scoring once in a 6-0 win over Kincardine.
St. Thomas got a boost from its keeper, Cam Oegema, who stopped a penalty shot and earned the shutout. In the final, St. Thomas built up a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 5-2 win. Scorers were Ben Moniz, Greg Lyle and Alonzo Flores.
Premier team blanks White Eagles
Posted By Times-Journal Staff
St. Thomas had no trouble in Western Ontario Soccer League Premier Division play Thursday, shutting out White Eagles 5-0. St. Thomas did all of their offensive damage in the second half scoring five goals in a game played at Athletic Park. Matt Aristone and Kyle Hamm led the way for St. Thomas with two goals each while Andrew Maxwell added one.
St. Thomas is in third place with a 7-4-1 record.
Brantford Soccer Classic 2008: Under 13 Boys Official Results
| Under 13 Boys Schedule | ||||||
| Revised August 20th | ||||||
| Group A | Group B | |||||
| Oakville Avalanche | Tillsonburg Titans | |||||
| Kitchener Spirit 'B' | Brantford (BICS) | |||||
| Brampton Blast 95 | St. Thomas | |||||
| Preliminary Round | ||||||
| Date: Friday, August 22nd | ||||||
| 2x25 min. halves | ||||||
| Game# | Time | HomeTeam | Score | VisitorTeam | Score | Field |
| B1301 | 8:30 PM | Oakville Avalanche | 4 | Tillsonburg Titans | 2 | Lions Park #2 |
| B1302 | 9:00 PM | Brantford (BICS) | 0 | St. Thomas | 1 | Lions Park #1 |
| Date: Saturday, August 23rd | ||||||
| 2x25 min. halves | ||||||
| Game# | Time | HomeTeam | Score | VisitorTeam | Score | Field |
| B1303 | 9:00 AM | Kitchener Spirit 'B' | 2 | Brampton Blast 95 | 2 | Lions Park #1 |
| B1304 | 12:15 PM | Brantford (BICS) | 2 | Kitchener Spirit 'B' | 1 | Lions Park #1 |
| B1305 | 12:15 PM | Brampton Blast 95 | 0 | Oakville Avalanche | 4 | Lions Park #2 |
| B1306 | 12:15 PM | Tillsonburg Titans | 2 | St. Thomas | 1 | Lions Park #3 |
| B1307 | 3:30 PM | St. Thomas | 1 | Brampton Blast 95 | 2 | Lions Park #1 |
| B1308 | 3:30 PM | Tillsonburg Titans | 2 | Brantford (BICS) | 1 | Lions Park #2 |
| B1309 | 3:30 PM | Oakville Avalanche | 2 | Kitchener Spirit 'B' | 0 | Lions Park #3 |
| Playoffs | ||||||
| Date: Sunday, August 24th | ||||||
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| 2x25 min. halves | ||||||
| Game# | Time | HomeTeam | Score | VisitorTeam | Score | Field |
| B1310 | 11:00 AM | 1st place Group A | 2nd place Group B | Lions Park #1 | ||
| Oakville Avalanche | 4 | St. Thomas | 0 | |||
| B1311 | 11:00 AM | 1st place Group B | 2nd place Group A | Lions Park #2 | ||
| Tillsonburg Titans | 1 | Brampton Blast 95 | 2 | |||
| Finals | ||||||
| 2x25 min. halves | ||||||
| Game# | Time | HomeTeam | Score | VisitorTeam | Score | Field |
| B1312 | 2:00 PM | Winner B1310 | Winner B1311 | Lions Park #1 | ||
| Oakville Avalanche | 0 | Brampton Blast 95 | 2 | |||
U12G 2008 Cup Finalist and Runner up of League play
Under 12 Girls
Belmont - Belmont TV/Hub - Cup Champions
St Thomas - Cup Finalists
Under 12 Girls Tier A
Southend - Stoneman Distributors - League Winner
St. Thomas - League Runner-up
St. Thomas soccer streak at 15
Posted By Kyle Rea, TIMES-JOURNAL STAFF
An undefeated stretch for the St. Thomas mens Third Division East squad extended to 15 games on Sunday. That's after the home side notched a 2-0 victory over their second place rivals from Norfolk in Western Ontario Soccer League action at Athletic Park. Improving their record to 14 wins and one tie, Sunday's win gives St. Thomas 42 points, with Norfolk sitting in second place with 32 points. Both teams took to the pitch undefeated, but coach Frank Lattanzio explained his players came into the match hungry for victory.
After all, the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record for St. Thomas came in a 1-1 tie versus Norfolk on June 13. "It was a very important game. We've been having an easy time of it. The opponents are usually not as strong as this one was," he said. "They're young but we've got a mixture of youth and experience. They thought that we'd be out of shape because they were younger than we were. But I think they were surprised."
After a scoreless opening half, St. Thomas found the net first on a goal by Robert Lattanzio less than 10 minutes after the intermission. Then, with the clock winding down, Ryan Wise broke through Norfolk's defence to add the insurance tally with less than five minutes to go. "(The season) has been going great so far," observed coach Lattanzio.
"We're averaging five goals a game. Today was a bad production day. But I'm not complaining. It's a very good score against a second place team. Dany (Tomas) had to work really hard to get the shutout."
"A lot of them are very committed and they're having fun. Even the practices are fun. With a good bunch of guys that are winning, it's hard to improve it."After Sunday's match, Lattanzio said they only have three league games to go, two of which are played at home, before facing St. Columban on Sept. 16 for a cup final match.
U-17 boys clinch first
Posted By Times-Journal Staff
Three consecutive victories gave St. Thomas Ansell's the boys under-17 league title in the London and District Youth Soccer League. Offence was the story as St. Thomas scored 21 goals in the three goals while allowing just three. Alonzo Flores had a hat trick and Drew Vanderhorst scored twice as St. Thomas rolled over the London City Euros 7-2. Ben Moniz and Matt Limbrick added singles for St. Thomas. Nick Belanger scored both goals for City.
St. Thomas started the roll by shutting out Oakridge 6-0 with Flores, Moniz, Nick Hicknell, Ben Shaw and Matt Vanderspanke scoring. Cam Oegema was in net. Three goals in the opening 12 minutes powered St. Thomas to a 8-1 scrubbing of Kincardine. Hicknell with three goals, Vanderspanke, with two and singles from Peter Kavcic and Moniz found the inside of the mesh. St. Thomas begins Challenge Cup play Saturday at the Gemini Fields in Strathroy against Kincardine. Game time is 2 p.m.
St. Thomas takes a tough tie
Posted By Rob Ross, TIMES-JOURNAL STAFF
In the fight for first place, St. Thomas lost two valuable points. Currently in a close race with Croatia and AEK at the top of the Premier division of the Western Ontario Soccer League, St. Thomas had to settle for a 2-2 with Benfica Tuesday at Athletic Park. Two weeks ago, St. Thomas blanked Benfica 3-0 in London.
"It was a tough game for us," coach John Twinem said. "We had a terrible first half. We came out with a lack of focus. We were letting guys run and we were missing balls. We played better in the second half and we had them on the run."A win would have put St. Thomas into first place, hopping over both first placeCroatia and AEK in second spot. St. Thomas jumped out 1-0 on a goal by Dave Coleman, but Benfica scored twice before the first half was over. Trevor Medeiros and Johnny Paiva on a penalty shot put Benfica up 2-1.
"We scored first and I think we thought we would be fine," said Twinem. James Twinem tied the game midway through the second half. St. Thomas thought they scored the go ahead goal but the referee ruled a player was offside. With a record of 7-1-1 St. Thomas is tied with AEK (7-1-) in second place one point behind Croatia (7-2-0).
Benfica is at 2-4-4. Key games that will likely decide the Premier division winner are one against AEK and two against Croatia.
Masters win Cup game
Jeff West scored five times to lead St. Thomas to a 7-0 blitzing of Benfica A in a Middlesex Masters League Cup game Tuesday at Athletic Park. Simon Golding and Mark Imbroll also scored St. Thomas against Benfica A, a Division 2 team with a 6-2-2 record in league action. St. Thomas sits atop the league's Division 3 West with a 11-0 record. In the East, the Embro Stallions lead the way with a 11-0 record.
Talented Twinem joins Jackets
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal Staff
James Twinem has kicked enough soccer balls at protective wall mats in gyms, it’s a surprise they remain in one piece.
Hours of foot work and shooting drills indoors and outside on the pitch, has paid off for the 17-year-old East Elgin Secondary School athlete. Twinem has accepted a four-year soccer scholarship at Cedarville University, a private Christian school located in southwestern Ohio. “I really liked the situation,” said James, who looked at several school offers. “The guys on the team were friendly and helpful.” Twinem will be studying for a Bachelor in Arts and Education degree, covered three-quarters by his scholarship.
James Twinem, right, signs his letter of intent to play soccer at Cedarville University, for coach Ben Belleman, left, at a ceremony Monday at East Elgin Secondary School. Cedarville, home of the Yellow Jackets, plays in the American Midwest conference of the NAIA. (T-J photo)
The son of John and Jo-Anne Twinem of Eden, and brother to Laura and Joel, James caught the attention of Cedarville head coach Ben Belleman with his pure talent. “He worked out at our practices for a couple days and I was real impressed with his skill and understanding of the game,” said Belleman. “College soccer is a very athletic game and he shows a very high athletic ability too.”
Known as the Yellow Jackets, Cedarville plays in the American Midwest Conference South Division of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Yellow Jackets finished last season with an overall record of 7-9-3 (3-2-1 in league), hurting on offence with only 20 goals in 19 games. “A big need of our team is players who are crafty and skillful in helping create an attack,” Belleman said. “That was one of the things that really drew us to James.”
Twinem has been instrumental in creating offence for both the East Elgin Eagles varsity and St. Thomas men’s first division club teams. He also spent a month last summer on trial with three clubs in England. “James is a very driven athlete, a workhorse. He can run 90 minutes and play any style of soccer,” praised Eagles soccer coach Doug Lusk, who watched Twinem many mornings blast that gym wall with balls during a two-hour workout, twice weekly before attending class.
“That’s dedication. You can have talent but you have to hone it and make it better which he has done,” points out Lusk. “James has been a big part of very successful East Elgin teams.”
Twinem, a starter since Grade 9, has helped lead the Eagles to four consecutive WOSSAA soccer finals and last year to a bronze medal at the OFSAA AA championship. “In terms of skill level, when we were at OFSAA James was the best player,” said Lusk. “He’s a quiet leader, leads by example and nobody will out-work James.”
Twinem attended Summers Corners and Springfield elementary schools, prior to becoming a multi-sport star in soccer, basketball and swimming at East Elgin. A two-time first team all-star for the Thames Valley South Division in senior hoops, Twinem is a strong swimmer as well, just missing qualifying for OFSAA in three disciplines this year.
Premiers upend AEK
St. Thomas serves notice on division
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal Staff
It’s the biggest upset in recent Western Ontario Soccer League history. St. Thomas surprised AEK 2-1 in Premier Division action Friday at the Hellenic Centre in London. “It’s a big upset because they’ve (AEK) dominated this area for quite a while. They’re a really talented team. They hadn’t lost in three years,” said St. Thomas coach John Twinem. “It was a big shock to them and we were very pleased with the result.”
In their first year playing Premier following a promotion from the First Division St. Thomas beat an AEK team that includes three players from the Canadian under-19 team and an NCAA Division I All-American who also plays on the Bosnia U-20 team. “They hadn’t had a goal scored on them until we scored two,” Twinem said. “In the first half we had the run of the play. The second half they came on strong. We defended like crazy and Aaron Wiltsie in net was brilliant. He made some fantastic saves. His best save came on a penalty shot in the second half.
Kevin deSerpa, a former Canadian National team member, scored both St. Thomas goals, one off a free kick and the second by beating the AEK goalie one on one. “Kevin is just skillful and strong on the ball. When we hit the ball forward to him, he can hold it for us until we bring our attack around him,” said Twinem. “He makes smart runs and he has been helping other players make smart runs.” AEK replied in the last minute of the first half.
“We’ve been pleased already with our start, but a win like that really puts us through the roof that we can compete with the best teams in the league,” Twinem said. “It immediately puts the rest of the league on alert (for St. Thomas). Usually when a team steps up from First Division, everybody thinks they’ll be fodder.” St. Thomas sits second behind Croatia, having won three of its four games, only losing 1-0 to Marconi. “I’m hoping it’s the start of some very good things. We came in with the hope of finishing in the middle of the pack,” Twinem said.
St. Thomas hosts Bluewater at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Athletic Park.
St. Thomas Soccer Club: House League action
Farm Gate Market’s Deandra Fehr, left, battles Wilsdon’s Kicker Mikayla Francis in St. Thomas under-16 girls house league soccer action Wednesday at Cowan Park. Francis, Ellen Gray and Kayly Robbins scored in a 3-0 win. The Kickers are undefeated at 7-0-1. (T-J photo by Rob Ross)
Getting a kick out of house league soccer
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St. Thomas gains soccer 'wow' factor
Monday April 21, 2008
By Rob Ross
Times-Journal Staff
Kevin Serpa is certainly a player that can help St. Thomas remain at the Premier soccer level. The former Canadian National team member and international pro player has signed earlier this week to play in St. Thomas.
Kevin Serpa, a former Canadian National team member and professional soccer player, has been signed by the St. Thomas Soccer Club's premier men's team. The 27-year-old brings experience, soccer sense, skill and an ability to teach the game to young people. (T-J photo)
The 27-year-old bring his experience, playing skill and knack of teaching the game to help St. Thomas achieve its goal of staying in the top division of the Western Ontario Soccer league. St. Thomas won the first division in 2007 to advance up to the Premier Division, where the club wants to stay. “Exposure to a quality player of Kevin’s experience will be big for our team. He brings the ‘wow‘ factor,” head coach John Twinem stressed. “He loves to teach and that’ll help St. Thomas.”
Raised in Kitchener, before moving to play for Mississauga Dixie at the age of 16, Serpa then started a pro career that would take him around the world with stops in Portugal, playing three years in the Super League with Penafiel, Brazil, Scotland and Norway. Along the way Serpa played on various levels of Canadian National teams including 15 games for the senior team, scoring six goals. “That gave me huge exposure over the world,” noted Serpa, who is fluent in English, Norwegian and Portuguese. “Every country has a different style of football. It benefited me because I took from each style and tried to make it part of my game and it worked. It’s an ongoing learning battle.”
Representing Canada and being the top scorer on both the U-17 and U-20 teams are highlights for Serpa.
He was also featured in a commercial that ran on television during a CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) tournament. Players from other countries noticed and pointed him out as the Canadian player to stop.
Serpa looks forward to bringing what he learned at those higher levels to St. Thomas, not only to the premier team, but teaching local youth players as well. “What I hope to bring is an understanding to what football really is. Here in Canada, it’s a number three or number four sport. In Europe and South America it’s the number one sport,” said Serpa. “Little basic things that people don’t understand.“ From communicating without talking, knowing what to do in a situation to simply getting the feel of the ball, skills that enhance a player’s game.
Retired from the pro scene and the national ranks, Serpa currently works for Freestyle Soccer, performing clinics and soccer tricks in a Harlem Globertrotter-style at shows across Canada and the U.S. The Premier team kicks off the season Saturday, May 10 at the Portuguese Club in London against Benfica.
St. Thomas hosts Chatham in their home opener at Athletic Park on Saturday, May 24 at 5 p.m.
High School Soccer action.
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School soccer action at Parkside, facing St. Joe's
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Soccer action at the Athletic Park.
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London & Area Women's Soccer League, 2008 - Special Award - Gerry Safadi - Coach (St. Thomas)
From left to right: LAWSL PRESIDENT: Ada Edwards, Coach: Gerry Safadi, LAWSL VICE-PRESIDENT: Dora Rzeszutek
Trophy Recipients - 2008 Soccer Season
U10 Boys - Brody Bell, David Ostojic, Brody Massecar
U11 Boys - Jerid Klassen, Alexander Sanders, Anders Adzija
U12 Boys - Cole Forbes, Bryce Gardner, Cameron Malthaner
U13 Boys - Marc Lewis, Reed Stock, James Casey, Ryan Pocrnic
U14 Boys - Brandon Lue, Jamie Fox, Mike Wadley
U16 Boys - Adam Van Bommel, Aaron Kirk, Brodey Holditch, Mike Barraco
U17 Boys - Cam Oegema, Mark Jackson, Ben Moniz, Alonzo Flores
U10 Girls - Alicia Nikolasevic, Erin Axford, Grace Donaldson
U12 Girls - Hannah Devries, Makenzie McGugan
U13 Girls - Emily Docs, Taylor Hyrtle, Avery Van Overberghe
U14 Girls - Averi Nooren, Emily Deane
U15 Girls - Randi-Jo Francis, Allyson Paylor, Rebecca Liberatore
Getting a kick out of house league soccer
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