Seneca Claims Its First CCAA Women’s Soccer Championship
Schedule & Results ( Courtesy of the CCAA)
| November 8, 2023 | ||||
| 10:00 am AT | Match 1 | Saint-Lambert – 6 | Brandon – 0 | Scoresheet |
| 12:30 pm AT | Match 2 | Seneca – 2 | UKC – 0 | Scoresheet |
| 3:00 pm AT | Match 3 | Douglas – 1 | Holland – 4 | Scoresheet |
| 5:30 pm AT | Match 4 | Sainte-Foy – 4 | SAIT – 0 | Scoresheet |
| November 9, 2023 | ||||
| 10:00 am AT | Match 5 | UKC – 2 | Brandon – 1 | Scoresheet |
| 12:30 pm AT | Match 6 | Douglas – 2 | SAIT – 1 | Scoresheet |
| 3:00 pm AT | Match 7 | Saint-Lambert – 0 | Seneca – 2 | Scoresheet |
| 5:30 pm AT | Match 8 | Sainte-Foy – 1 (PK) | Holland – 1 | Scoresheet |
| November 10, 2023 | ||||
| 10:00 am AT | Match 9 | SAIT – 1 | Brandon – 0 | Scoresheet |
| 12:30 pm AT | Match 10 | Saint-Lambert – 3 | Douglas – 1 | Scoresheet |
| 3:00 pm AT | Match 11 | Holland – 1 | UKC – 0 | Scoresheet |
| November 11, 2023 | ||||
| 11:00 am AT | Match 12 | Douglas – 1 | UKC | Scoresheet |
| 1:30 pm AT | Bronze | Saint-Lambert – 0 | Holland – 1 | Scoresheet |
| 4:00 pm AT | Gold | Seneca – 1 | Sainte-Foy – 0 | Scoresheet |
Championship Match: Seneca Sting 1, Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy 0
The Seneca Sting Women’s Soccer team is CCAA National Champions.
The Seneca Sting claimed the CCAA National Championship on Saturday in Summerside, PEI, defeating the Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy, 1-0 in a tightly contested match.
The back-and-forth game appeared destined for extra time, until the 73’ minute mark when Emma Gattoni broke a scoreless match in the 73rd minute to score the lone goal. Jordan Burke struck a long kick from the centre circle which settled near the Sainte-Foy goal. Gattoni outjumped the competition and headed the ball off the post. Undeterred, Gattoni collected the rebound and struck a shot past the Dynamiques’ keeper into the net to score the first and only goal of the match.
Sainte-Foy continued to apply the pressure on the Sting, in the wind, rain and snow, but were unable to score the equalizer.
The Sting’s accomplishment was not only the first CCAA National Championship for Seneca’s women’s soccer but also any OCAA women’s soccer team. Sainte-Foy’ silver medals represented the third podium finish for the Dynamiques since 2019, having earned gold that season and silver in 2021.
Words which had never been spoken prior will live on forever as the Sting defeated the Dynamiques de Sainte-Foy 1-0 to claim the first women’s soccer national championship in Seneca’s history.
Gattoni was named Player of the Game while Christina Diaco recorded the shutout.
Yoana Peralta was named Most Valuable Player for the championship while Jordan Burke, Jessica Shears and Rebekah Lee were named to the Championship All-Star team.
After suffering their first regular season loss in five years, the Sting completed a dominant run to the championship which saw the team outscore their opponents 5-0 at the CCAA Championship, 12-1 including the OCAA Championship and 29-1 in post-season play. On the season, the Sting outscored their opponents 114-6 including a Sting record 25 goals by Shanice Alfred.
The championship represents a decade of dominance by the Sting, starting with the 2013 season as the team has compiled a regular season record of 84-11-8 and has reached a medal game at the OCAA Championship in each season.
Ironically, it was Gattoni who scored the championship winning goal in 2014, the Sting’s lone championship during the run until this season. Four OCAA silver medals and a CCAA bronze medal were achieved, but a national championship eluded the Sting until this season.
With a roster full of saavy veterans looking to put an exclamation on their Sting legacy and a number of talented newcomers, the Sting found the perfect blend of talent and leadership. At the helm, head coach Luca Sirianni put himself in the conversation as one of the best (and most-decorated) coaches in the CCAA, regardless of sport.
For some teams, the build to a championship happens in a couple years, but the fall often proceeds the rise. For coach Sirianni, the coaches and players, the journey has maybe taken a couple more years than hoped for, but given their track record of success, this Sting team is well equipped to make this celebration an annual occurrence.
The 4Imprint Players of the Match were Emma Gatooni, from Seneca, and Rosalie Morissette, from Sainte-Foy.
Bronze Medal Match: Holland Hurricanes 1, Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers 0
The Holland Hurricanes won their first CCAA women’s soccer medal in school history on Saturday as they outlasted the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers by a score of 1-0.
After a first half where Saint-Lambert had the slight edge, the Hurricanes entered the second half with more determination and managed to swing the momentum. They ultimately surprised the Cavaliers by taking the 1-0 lead in the 69’ minute off a beautiful finish by Misha Koyari.
The Hurricanes then executed a solid defensive strategy for the following 25-minutes, ultimately securing the 1-0 victory
The 4Imprint Players of the Match were Keanna Ryan, from Holland, and Emilie Grondines, from Champlain Saint-Lambert.
MATCH 12: Douglas Royals 1, UKC Blue Devils
The Douglas Royals completed their 2023 CCAA National Championship with their second victory of the event on Saturday versus the UKC Blue Devils in the 5/6th Placement Match.
A first half that was played very evenly on both sides of the pitch, saw the first and only goal of the match scored just before the half-time break by Kya Cleto in the 42’ for Douglas.
In the second half, both sides exchanged scoring chances with the slight edge to Douglas, however no goals were scored.
The 4Imprint Players of the Match were Kya Cleto, from Douglas, and Kennedy MacKill, from UKC.
CHAMPIONSHIP MVP | Yoana Peralta Fernandez, Seneca
CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-STARS
- Iriana Theoharopoulos, UKC Blue Devils
- Kya Cleto, Douglas Royals
- Emilie Grondines, Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers
- Misha Koyari, Holland Hurricanes
- Keanna Ryan, Holland Hurricanes
- Chloé Chouinard, Sainte-Foy Dynamiques
- Anne-Gabrielle Pouliot, Sainte-Foy Dynamiques
- Rosalie Daigle, Sainte-Foy Dynamiques
- Jordan Burke, Seneca Sting
- Rebekah Lee, Seneca Sting
- Jessica Shears, Seneca Sting
Sources: https://ccaa.ca/sports/wsoc/championship/index
https://ccaa.ca/sports/wsoc/2023-24/releases/2023_wsc_day_4
https://www.senecasting.ca/varsity/News_Slider/2023-24/11-11_WSOC
https://hollandcollege.com/athletics%20news/2023/hurricanes-weekend-preview-november-1112-edition.html