West Niagara Invitational - U10 Boys Elite Division - FINALISTS!

The Gunners faced tough weather conditions and a very strong field of teams in this tournament and exceeded the coaches expectations this weekend. They were looking at this tournament more for a team bonding experience while facing some of the toughest teams in Ontario. The Gunners had a tough group on Saturday and needed to finish top two to advance to the quarter finals.

Game # 1 saw the Gunners face a tough and hungry Niagara Falls Titans team. The Gunners stormed to a 3-0 halftime lead only to see it vanish in ten second half minutes. The Gunners held on for the tie which would prove very valuable at the end of the day. 3-3.
Game # 2 saw the Gunners battle another tough team in Kitchener Spirit. The Gunners got the first goal and held the lead for most of the game. Gunners win 4-2.
Game # 3 would prove to be the toughest opponent of the day as Barrie Spirit had won their past two games. One of them rather convincingly. The weather got pretty nasty for this one but to the surprise of many the game played on. The Gunners lost this game 3-1 and finished the round robin with a 1-1-1 record. They finished tied for second with Niagara Falls but their stronger goal differential pushed them through to Sunday.

Quarter Finals vs. Toronto Eagles: The Gunners faced a tough Eagles squad which had won their group the day before. They knew every game was going to be tough and probably benefitted from having a tough qualifying group because the Gunners came out on fire Sunday. The Gunners finally finished one of their chances to take a 1-0 lead at half. Early in the second half the Gunners took a 2-0 lead. They would hold this lead till the last minute as the Eagles finally beat them on a free kick but that was all and the Gunners held on for a big 2-1 win.

Semi Finals vs. Saltfleet Crush: The Gunners had never heard or seen this team before but judging from their preliminary match wins over Brampton East, Ajax Wolves & Aurora Stingers, the Gunners knew it would take a huge effort to win this match. The Gunners carried much of the play in the first half but couldn't capitalize on their chances. 0-0 was the halftime score. Midway through the second half the Gunners were awarded a penalty shot but the keeper made a great save to keep the score 0-0. With about 5 minutes left the Gunners finally got the better of the Saltfleet keeper and scored to make it 1-0. The score would hold up and the Gunners advanced to another championship game.

Finals vs. Mississauga Falcons A: The Gunners came into this match knowing that this team had dominated every game they had played. Even the close games they were carrying at least 80% of the play. The Gunners paid the price for their giveaways on this day and gave up 4 goals on turnovers right in front of their goal. Mississauga Falcons are a great team and they will serve as the Gunners measuring stick for future comparisons. This is a team the Gunners want to be competitive with one day and they know they can. The Gunners lost the final match 5-0 and though they enjoyed their successes on and off the field this weekend, this match is a reminder that they still have a ways to go before they can compete with the top calibre Ontario teams.

Congratulations to the Gunners on a great tournament!

Those boots were the biggest joke in the morning, but by the end of the day everyone was envious.