Trojans capture boys’ soccer crown

The North Park Trojans won the Athletic Association of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk boys’ soccer championship on Thursday.

Playing on their home turf, the Trojans defeated the St. John’s College Green Eagles 5-4 in a shootout to capture the title.

It was a thrilling, highly entertaining game that featured a couple of lead changes and some great plays. But the biggest three plays of the game belonged to Trojans’ keeper Travis Bonney and his teammate Mark Kukla.

With only seconds remaining in the game and the Trojans down by a goal, Kukla managed to elude the Green Eagles defense long enough to tie the game 3-3. The goal feels the game into overtime.

In the overtime, the Green Eagles took the lead 4-3 on a goal by Evano Planamente before Adam Anderson countered for the Trojans making the score 4-4 at the end of overtime.

In the shootout Bonney stopped two shots while his teammates scored on all of their attempts to give the Trojans the win.

“I was pretty nervous,” Bonney said following the game. “But I just used my mind and remembered how I handle these shots in practice.

“It’s a bit of a guessing game and I guessed right twice.”

Kukla, meanwhile, said it was the team’s best game of the year.

“It was really intense and exciting,” Kukla said.

Alex Okopien used his speed to scamper away from the Green Eagles twice to give the Trojans a 2-1 lead in the first half.

Zack Kaman countered for St. John’s with a brilliant strike from distance that went over Bonney’s head.

In the second half, the Green Eagles tied the game on a goal by Evan Wilson. Following Wilson’s goal, the Green Eagles were in the North Park end when they were earned a free kick.

Kaman got his head on the ball and sent it towards the net and Joey Hesmer finished it to give the Green Eagles a 3-2 lead.

That set the stage for Kukla’s heroics, the overtime period and shootout.

Blake Krukowski of the Green Eagles said it was a great game.

“I’m proud of the way we played,” Krukowski said. “It was a thrilling, entertaining game.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted but we played well and gave it everything we had.”

The Green Eagles are a young team with many players in Grade 9 setting the stage for some pretty strong teams over the next couple of years, he added.

While the local soccer season is over the soccer season continues for both teams.

North Park will play for the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association AA championship with games being played Monday and Wednesday at the Kiwanis Soccer Complex in Owen Sound.

The Green Eagles will compete for the CWOSSA AAA championship at Schlegel Park in Kitchener on Monday and Wednesday.

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