Parkside Stampeders, TVRA SouthEast girls' soccer champions (enjoying jumbo freezies). (photo / Rob J. Ross)
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
By Rob J. Ross
TILLSONBURG, Ont. - They are another step closer to OFSAA.
The Parkside Stampeders are aiming for a return to the provincial high school championship and the reigning OFSAA 2A champions cleared the first hurdle, by completing an undefeated season in Thames Valley Region Athletics (TVRA) action.
Braelyn Dennis scored twice to lead the Stampeders over Tillsonburg Glendale, 2-0, in the TVRA South-East division girls' soccer final, held at the Tillsonburg Minor Soccer Park.
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Parkside's Braelyn Dennis (3), who scored twice, seemed to have the ball follow her all game against Glendale, during the TVRA South-East girls' soccer final. (photo / Rob Ross)
Dennis scored in the opening first five minutes of the game and struck again on a free break, set up by Savannah Williams, in the opening minute of the second half.
"Our team was nervous before this game. (Scoring early) made the game easier," said Dennis. "They (Glendale) were a hard, rough team, but we out-played them. We were moving the ball but couldn't finish on the crosses. But two goals are fine."
Parkside keeper Maegan Mahaffy-Schmidt didn't have much to contend with, aside from a few stray balls rolling in from mid-field, to record the shutout. The Stampeders' smothering defence has only allowed two goals all season.
"Braelyn has a fair amount of speed so we use that speed to get us behind their defence and a lot of times she drives to the net and creates a lot of chances," Parkside coach Gerry Safadi said. "She can break things open for us. She's strong, fit and fast."
Parkside created numerous other scoring opportunities, including hitting a post and the crossbar, but couldn't convert more into goals.
"We generated a ton of offence (including Taylor Goodhue), but finishing is always the most difficult," Safadi said. "We keep telling the girls to keep taking the shots."
The only concern from this game is Williams, who left game mid second half with an injury.
Parkside now faces London South, in a Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (WOSSAA) semi-final, back here Thursday, at 9 a.m.
The other semi-final features London STA and Stratford St. Mike's. The winners meet in the gold game (noon), with that winner advancing to OFSAA, June 1-3, in North Bay.