St. Clair Women’s Soccer Finish 6th in Ontario

The Algonquin Thunder defeated the St. Clair Saints to capture the OCAA Consolation Soccer Championship with a 3-0 victory, The Thunder finish 5th in Ontario on Saturday morning at Seneca College.

With snow falling, the Thunder started quickly, opening the scoring in the 7th minute. Hailey Martin received a pass at the top of the eighteen yard box, made a nifty backwards pass to Courtney Gibbs who dribbled towards the goal and shot it into the left side of the net. As the snow turned to a sleet and eventual rain, the teams struggled to exhibit the same technical skill they were accustomed to.

In the 69th minute, the Thunder added to their lead. Strong attacking by the Thunder forwards forced a turnover just outside the eighteen yard box. Martin picked up the giveaway and blasted a shot to the far left corner of the goal from twenty-two yards out for her first goal of the game.

Martin struck again in the 73rd minute. A beautifully struck free kick from midfield landed just outside the six yard box of the Saints’ goal. A scramble ensued and Martin pounced on the rebound for her second goal of the match.

With the loss the Saints ended up a very respectable 6th in the entire OCAA. Natalie Turner earned Player of the Game honours for St. Clair.

Saints head coach Kris Geier was happy with his teams’ season. “We had a very young and inexperienced team this past season that improved as the season wore on. However, that youth and inexperience led to inconsistent play. Nonetheless, we are proud of our women who left it all on the field and being a part of the OCAA Championship will be a great learning tool for us moving forward”