Cougars still on the prowl
[attach]7133[/attach]A flair for the dramatic aside, two close victories have landed Marc Garneau Cougars senior boys’ soccer team one step away from OFSAA competition.
The Cougars repelled East York Goliaths 3–2 in the South region semifinal match on Oct. 31. Offensive prowess overcame defensive mistakes and they escaped to live another day, when they face Jarvis Bulldogs in the finals Nov. 6. The winner gains a berth at the OFSAA soccer championships next June.
The Cougars also needed a dramatic finish on Oct. 29 to scratch out a 3–2 quarterfinal win against Ursula Franklin Flames.
After losing a 2–1 lead late in that game, midfielder Suleman Azimi buried the go-ahead goal with minutes left to seal the victory.
The quarterfinal was a battle to the end. The second half was scoreless until the end, with each side maintaining an aggressive approach. Looking to force mistakes, both sides took their share of long shots and created havoc in the goalie box. Down the stretch, Ursula Franklin had several headers off of corners, only to see them go high.
Azimi’s goal, which came a few minutes after a late goal by Ursula Franklin’s Cengiz Sofuoglu on Marc Garneau’s doorstep, was a messy affair. At least eight players were trying to get a foot on the ball. The shot, going past the goalie’s right side, caused a roar of delight from Azimi’s teammates and fans.
“This is a big deal, to come this far,” Azimi said after the game, smiling from ear to ear. “They’re saying we’re working as a team, getting there, and it’s good thing.”
The Flames were no lame ducks in the contest. Captain Stefan Mitrovic had a lot of control and possession time in the middle, pushing forward at every chance.
He had his fair share of shots on net, though several went wide.
“We wanted to make sure we did exactly what we didn’t,” the midfielder said post-game, his frustration evident. “We [didn’t] stay tight at the back end and make sure we didn’t let sloppy goals in.”
The game had its share of drama.
The Flames opened the match dominating on possession, keeping the ball in Marc Garneau’s end. The Cougars looked anxious for the first 20 minutes, scrambling on defense and shooting on offense without strategy or working the defence.
But the tide changed after Ursula Franklin opened the scoring on forward Aabel Zewde’s cheeky right-footed shot off of a throw-in. Cougar midfielders and forwards Danial Khalili, Sebastian Gherghe and Azimi began to work in rhythm, creating balls forward and confusing the defensive coverage.
Striker Baran Sahin tied up the game quickly after Zewde’s goal, and set up midfielder Hidar Hidari to go ahead 2–1.
“We played as a team, we moved forward, we moved as a team, we played strong,” Sahin said. “We wanted to win and we played hard to get there and we got there.”
They managed to squeak by the Bulldogs 1-0 in regular season play on Oct. 21.
