U-16 Boys: Erin Mills, Halifax City SC battle to draw in Group A action
Posted on 6 October 2012 in U-16 Cup
NS v ON
In a battle of the top two teams in Group A, Ontario's Erin Mills Eagles and Nova Scotia's Halifax City SC battled to a 1:1 draw at the Under-16 Cup in Charlottetown.
Halifax City SC drew first blood, as Bogdan Kunovac scored on Fiore Costa in the 35th minute to give Nova Scotia the early lead.
It was the first goal allowed by Costa since the 11th minute of Erin Mills' second game of the tournament against Manitoba's FC Northwest Dominate, a stretch of 204 minutes without a goal conceded.
However, Erin Mills would erase the deficit just six minutes later as Marquis Pitt scored for the second consecutive game to tie it up at 1, which is where the game would end despite strong efforts from both sides.
Nova Scotia did a good job of neutralizing Lee Victor Massunda's offensive influence. Massunda came into today's action leading the tournament with four goals, a place he now shares with Quebec's Marco-Leonel Dominguez and Rida Aboulhamid.
The result gives Ontario the inside track to Monday's gold-medal game in terms of Group A classification, as they finish the round-robin games on 10 points with a 3-0-1 record.
In order for Nova Scotia to advance to the championship match, they must defeat P.E.I.'s RC United by at least eight goals. Nova Scotia and P.E.I. will play at UPEI on Sunday at 16.30 local time.
Quick-strike attack propels Quebec over Newfoundland and into bronze-medal game
Two goals in the first seven minutes of the game allowed the Quebec champion Braves d'Ahuntsic to seize momentum early as they defeated Newfoundland and Labrador's St. John's SC 4:0.
Quebec forward Rida Aboulhamid continued his hot play, putting the Braves up 1-0 in the third minute with his third goal in as many games. Marco-Leonel Dominguez then scored for the fourth consecutive game in the seventh minute to give Quebec an early two-goal advantage.
Quebec would add another before the end of the half, as André-Philippe Adrien struck in the 27th minute to give the Braves a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Aboulhamid would score his second of the game in the 80th minute to ice it for the Braves.
Both Aboulhamid and Dominguez have scored four goals in the tournament to lead Quebec in scoring.
Marc Antoine Chaudry registered his second consecutive clean sheet as Newfoundland's attackers were held in check throughout the game.
Quebec's victory gives them second place in Group B with a 3-1 record, meaning they will play for bronze at 11.30 local time Monday in Cornwall.
Newfoundland and Labrador will play their final round-robin game Sunday at UPEI, when they take on Alberta champions Calgary SWU 96 at 11.30 local time.
Alberta breaks into the win column, defeating Saskatchewan
A second-half goal from Mazen Bamatraf stood up as Alberta's Calgary SWU 96 scored their first win, defeating Saskatchewan's Unidad SC 1:0 at UPEI.
The game was a physical affair on both sides, with each team drawing four cautions.
Alberta was in control throughout the game, controlling the tempo of play for the full 90 minutes.
Their efforts set the stage for Bamatraf, who broke through in the 67th minute to give Alberta all the offense they needed.
Saskatchewan wouldn't get another opportunity, and Colton Borle wound up posting the clean sheet for Alberta.
Alberta improves to 1-2, while Saskatchewan falls to 0-3.
Alberta's final round-robin game will be Sunday at UPEI, when they take on Newfoundland and Labrador's St. John's SC at 11.30 local time.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan will be in tough in their final round-robin game, when they take on Group B champions Surrey United SC (BC) on Sunday at UPEI at 9.00 local time.
Fundy United SC rolls to victory over RC United
A sustained attack in the middle third of the game allowed New Brunswick's Fundy United to take out P.E.I.'s RC United 3:0 under the lights in Charlottetown, PE.
New Brunswick's attack got going in the 36th minute, when Brad Payne scored his first of two goals to give Fundy United a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Midfielder David McPartland gave New Brunswick a two-goal cushion in the 49th minute before Payne tucked in his second of the night in the 64th minute to put the game out of reach.
The offensive efforts were more than enough to allow Maxime Cormier to post a clean sheet, with help from his defenders.
It was a clean game, as only one caution was issued between the two sides.
Fundy United will look to tack on another victory when they face Manitoba's FC Northwest Dominate, who will be well rested after having Saturday off. The game will take place at UPEI at 14.00 local time.
Meanwhile, RC United couldn't get anything going after their win over Manitoba Friday. They will look to play spoiler Sunday as they go up against Nova Scotia's Halifax City SC at UPEI at 16.30 local time. Nova Scotia must defeat P.E.I. by at least eight goals to advance to Monday's championship match against British Columbia's Surrey United SC.
