Wanderers under 16 boys reach provincial final; under 7 girls shine in Unionville!

The girls' under 7 Unionville finale featured Bolton's Blues and Whites in an exciting game.

Congratulations are in order for a variety of Wanderers' teams following recent action.

First on the honour roll are the under 16 boys.

Currently in second place in league play with 7 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, the U16s are just three points shy of top spot with two games in hand and recently powered their way past Middlesex United 3-1 to earn a berth in the prestigious Ontario Cup final.

Providing the opposition Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Ontario Soccer Association Centre will be the Simcoe Strikers. At of the end of July, Simcoe was ranked 44th in the province and were top of their league table with a 17-1 record; Bolton was ranked 29th in the province - solid rankings and results for both clubs, however, only one team will emerge as provincial champions. Congratulations to all the U16 boys along with Coach Carlo Fantin and staff for achieving yet another Wanderers' club milestone and best of luck in the final!

At the recently held Unionville/Milliken allstar/ select tournament, it was the under 7 girls allstars who stole the hearts of fans in an all Bolton "Blue" versus "White" final which featured end-to-end action and penalty shootout to decide the final outcome.

Bolton's U7 Blues were led by talented attackers Isabella Federico, Hannah Skrinar, Nadia Sessa, Erica Malascalza, Amanda Faroni and Jessica Vistica, who pressed hard in the early going, only to be turned back by the strong White defence of Karissa Lilly, Mercedes Gullusci, Hannah Thompson and goalkeeper Katrina Haarmann, who collected 3 shutouts in the tournament. It was then the Wanderer's U7 White team's turn to apply the pressure with speedy and skilled attackers Christina Ricciuti, Victoria Colp, Bianca Zilli, Allison French and Sophia Carbone leading the way.

This time the Blue side was equal to the task, with some great defence being played by Lindsay Appleton, Alaiyah Wilson and Alana Coulombe, and some great saves by goalkeeper Ciara Mirigello. The well-played game ended in a 0-0 draw, and the Whites ultimately won the championship 5-4 on penalty kicks.

A special congratulations goes out to each team's tournament MVP, Andrea Dodig for the White team, and Celia Sirianni for the Blue team.

And a huge thank you goes out to all of these girls (born in 2000 and some in 2001) who came together after less than a month of practice as teams, as well as their parents for their great support. Thanks also go out to Blue team coaches Mark Appleton and Scott Skrinar, as well as manager Karen Coulombe, and to White team coaches Mark Haarmann, Mike Dodig (who also coaches the girls' under 9 squad), as well as seemingly tireless coach/manager and allaround organizer, Dawn Dodig who also manages the girls' under 8 selects squad.

At the under 8 level, Bolton also fielded two girls' squads, an under 8 house league all-star team along with the Havenwood Homes Selects.

While the all-stars put in a fine showing and gained valuable experience, it was the U8 selects who advanced to the finals for the third consecutive time this season, however the team fell to Pickering after perhaps leaving their best on the field in the semi-final. Tournament goals for the U8 selects came from Jocelyn Coulombe (4), Jessica Dodig (3), Emmah Barber, Liza Knill, Madison Johnston, and Sara Slater. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Haarmann collected two shutouts. Defender Alessia Boem was awarded MVP. Congratulations to the rest of the team, who also made solid contributions throughout the weekend: Abbey Donnelly, Elaina Mikulski, Madison Osvaldini, Julia Ruffolo, and Kennedy Hanczyk.

The under 9 girls' selects also reached the final following a preliminary run which saw goalkeeper, Rachel Kernohan and her mates shut out all opponents. Defenders Sabrina Landolfiand Alyssa Mattacchione turned in stellar performances.

Goals came from the boots of Laura Bernardi, Mikaela Dodig (3), Julia Ficociello, Alana Gnida, Julia Pettella, Victoria Ramaos who was later award MVP, and Adaijah Wilson. The final proved to be one of the best of the tourney - a well-played hard-fought battle. Unfortunately, Bolton conceded two goals (one on a penalty) to North Mississauga to go home with the silver.

All in all it was an outstanding weekend for Bolton's under 7, 8, and 9 girls' all-star and select squads - 1 gold, 3 silvers; plus incredible news regarding the stellar play of the under 16 boys - firmly on the road to the Ontario Cup. Once again, congratulations to all the teams!