Just minutes before the Macdonald Cartier Panatheres girls soccer team's biggest game of the season, star striker Cloe Lacasse discovered her cleats were missing.
A mad scramble ensued as team coaches and players frantically searched the Sacre-Coeur field for the cleats just prior to the NOSSA A Championship game. The scene resembled a bunch of bees buzzing around a fallen hive.
Disaster was avoided when the cleats were found at the school
and brought to Lacasse, giving her just enough time to lace
them up and get onto the field before the opening whistle.
Had Lacasse not gotten the cleats it might have sparred the Panatheres' foe, the Algonquin Barons from North Bay, from being the victim of one of the most dominating NOSSA A performances ever.
Lacasse went out on scored five goals, helping the Panatheres win their first ever NOSSA game by the score of 6-2 and advance to just their second OFSAA championship ever.
Midfielder Karolyne Blain scored the other Macdonald Cartier goal, helping the team improve to 9-0-0 overall this season in regular season and playoff action.
Lacasse's awesome display of pure offensive talent left the Barons with sore necks from shaking their heads so hard in utter disbelief. They couldn't help but be impressed.
"That number 20 (Lacasse) is incredible," Algonquin head coach Lori Tremblay said, confirming the notion everyone in Greater Sudbury soccer already knows. "She's a beautiful player who is just outstanding. They're a good team overall too."
Much like their city championship game versus St. Benedict last week, the Panatheres jumped out to a fast start and made the Barons pay dearly for their slow start. The Panatheres took a 3-0 lead into the second half and went on to win 6-2. As good as the offensive was, the Macdonald Cartier defence was just as good. They didn't allow one quality scoring chance in the first half. The team's killer instinct was also operating at full capacity as well.
"It was another great team effort and everyone played well," coach Raymond Chevrette said. "Our defence played their best game of the season. It was another fast start...we got a couple of goals early on and I think that deflated them. We got those goals and then kept going hard at them."
Lacasse down played her five-goal outburst and was more happy with the end result which was a trip to OFSAA. She was also mum about her missing cleats.
"It was good to do...it helped us win and that's what matters most," the 14-year-old said. "I got my cleats back so that wasn't a problem at all. It's a lot of fun to be a part of this team. The girls are great and everyone works hard to win."
After blasting the competition in SDSSAA and NOSSA, the
Panatheres will enter new territory when they travel to Timmins
for the A OFSAA Championship which runs June 9 to 11.
They will be ready to keep the ball rolling.
"It feels good to win NOSSA and go to OFSSA but I just hope our team doesn't get too cocky," Blain said. "We have no idea what to expect at OFSAA so we have to use this game as motivation. We do know we will have to play even better and harder at OFSAA."
The Panatheres could earn a medal at OFSAA as long as the girls stick to their game plan which has yielded so much success so far.
"They have to keep playing as a team," Chevrette said. "We have some stars, but it's our strong team play that will keep us successful."
Going to an OFSAA event gives the school something to boast about.
"It's huge for our school," goalkeeper Stacey Kindt said. "we're showing our school is made for sports and we have competitive, athletic people here who want to win."
