Kajan Thiruthanikasalam (Sports Writer, Colts Athletics)
ANCASTER, ONT.- The second day of the 2018 belairdirect OCAA Women's Indoor Soccer Championships wrapped up at Redeemer University College for the Centennial Colts as they played their final round robin games for provincials at the Redeemer Sports Complex.
Centennial concluded their indoor season as they did not advance to the medal round, finishing in fifth place in Pool B with one point (0-3-1). Although the Colts lost to the Mohawk Mountaineers, they salvaged a point in their final game against the Conestoga Condors in a scoreless draw.
The Fanshawe Falcons (3-0-1) finished atop Pool B with 10 points while the Sheridan Bruins (2-0-2) finished with eight points as they both advanced to the medal rounds.
In a battle of winless teams at the time between Centennial and Mohawk, it was the Mountaineers, scoring a late goal in each half, who came out on top, 2-0. Brandi Riggs, like the Falcons game yesterday, stopped six of eight shots.
Riggs stopped Mohawk defender Sabrina Cianciosi while Mountaineers goalie Sabrina Mariani stopped Colts midfielder Nicole Warren to open the game. Neither team could find the back of the net until Sarah Ongarato fired a low shot past Riggs with 1:50 to go in the first half to put Mohawk up 1-0 at the half.
Mariani stopped midfielder Caitlin Cosgrove four minutes into the second half but Centennial kept pressing for that tying goal and had a glorious opportunity with 14:50 to go as defender Sabrina Rizzo fired off a shot on the breakaway. However, Mariani easily made the save.
Any hope of a Colts comeback was effectively snuffed out on a beautiful sequence with 4:20 left in the game, as Mountaineers midfielder Laura Stankovic made a thru pass to a streaking Caitlin Laughlin (Mohawk forward) and Laughlin made no mistake, firing a well-placed shot in the bottom right corner past Riggs to cap off the scoring.
In the second and final match of the day, Centennial got their first and only point of provincials as they drew 0-0 to the Condors. This game also concluded the Centennial soccer careers for defenders Claire Cherry and Rachel Morcos, midfielders Lais Rios and Warren, and forward Kali Zheng.
Rizzo was incredible as the Colts goalie as she stopped all five shots she faced, earning a clean sheet.
Condors goalie Jessica Burgess stopped Zheng's shot in what was the first scoring chance of the game but a sequence occurred in which Condors midefielder Maria Eduardo Santos and striker Lora Desilva had chances to open the scoring but Rizzo absolutely stoned them on both shot attempts. Rizzo also stopped an attempt at a top shelf goal from striker Amy Lintack to end the half.
The Condors had multiple free kick opportunities to start the second half but could not convert; Lintack had a pair of breakaway opportunities but shot both of them high. Both teams each had one shot on goal in the second half but the biggest opportunity came early in the half as defender Taya Ambrose had a breakaway. However, Rizzo was up to the challenge, stopping the shot and preserving the scoreless tie.
Congratulations to the Colts on an incredible season!
PHOTOS
OCAA Championship Match #3 vs. Mohawk Mountaineers: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcPRGVS
OCAA Championship Match #4 vs. Conestoga Condors: https://flic.kr/s/aHskv5Atxn