Sports
October 16, 2008 09:17 PM
Mike Hayakawa
The Markham District High School Marauders senior boys’ soccer team would like to do something no team in the York Region Athletic Association Tier One East Division has done in a long time.
That’s win the YRAA title.
Since Bayview Secondary School last won in 1994-95, teams representing the West Division have claimed the coveted championship.
Finishing the regular season atop the East Division with a 4-0-2 mark that concluded Friday with a 1-0 road win over Richmond Green Secondary School, the Marauders hope to put an end to the West’s dominance.
That will be put to the test today in the quarter-finals as they host defending league champion Father Bressani Catholic High School (Woodbridge) at 3 p.m.
If the Marauders have expectations of doing that, though, head coach Jeff Bower acknowledged his charges must play with a high degree of self assurance.
“They take their soccer very seriously in Woodbridge and there’s a lot of strong teams out there,” Bower said of the teams in the rival division. “A lot of our players play with guys from the schools in the West outside of our team so they know how good they can be. The key for us is not to be intimidated and play with confidence.
“The teams in the West play with a certain swagger and are always talking on the field. It can be intimidating. The key is to match that intensity and I think the older players on my team know this and can pass that confidence to the younger players.”
Entering the season with 10 returnees and advancing to last year’s quarter-finals, Bower had great expectations for his club.
Losing their top scorer of the last four seasons in Chris Kistenoglu to graduation, the Marauders have altered their game to rely more on their defence, anchored by Ian Campbell, Miki Antonijevic and Liam Culleton and central midfield of Ryan Rowe, Anthony Giorgio and Markus Miller. Jack Mitchell has provided steady play in goal.
“We’ve definitely had to work harder this year to score goals,” Bower acknowledged. “But it’s coming. We have players that do well controlling the ball and that needs to happen from the start. The boys have worked hard every game and are starting to see the rewards.”