BY SCOTT
HADDOW
The Sudbury Panhellenic women's squad has learned to bend,
but not break, this season.
The team continued its awesome play last weekend, and thanks to
a win and a tie over East York and Peterborough, kept their
unbeaten streak alive at 11 games.
The women have eight wins, three ties and no losses in the
Ontario Women's Soccer League (OWSL). They also have an
energized offence clicking at high efficiency, scoring 21 goals
in the 11 games. The defence is also holding its ground, only
allowing eight goals against.
The women currently hold down second place overall in the
regional central standings with 24 points.
The women will attempt to keep the streak alive this weekend
when they barge into Newmarket to take on the Lady Hawks. Game
time is 2 pm.
"This team has continued to adapt each game...and
continues to find ways to win and not lose, even on occasions
when the team has been outplayed for large parts of the
game," said head coach Joe Persi. "Players are doing
what they can to make sure the team has its best formations and
best supports and coverage. Defensively, the team doesn't
allow many goals and has contributions from many players."
Even if an opposing club manages to break through the
Panhellenic's wall of defence, they have to face Erin
Persi, the goalkeeper, who is greedy when it comes to handing
out goals. She has allowed less than a goal a game.
"The team has relied on one goalkeeper, Erin...She's a player that can be relied upon to clean up defensively," said Persi. "She picks off a lot of balls behind the play, positions herself well, gives few corners and has adequate kicks.
She tends to make her saves by being in the right place at
the right time and makes few mistakes. Erin is durable...and
has steady emotions, which help keep things calm in the
back."
The women, seeing consistent results and hard work pay off,
are buying into the team's program.
"So far, our team has made quite the impression in the
OWSL," said fullback Miranda Basso. "We play well as
a team and each player has their own individual strengths,
which really adds to our team ability to succeed in different
challenges throughout a game."
As the wins pile up, the squad knows how to stay grounded
and not get cocky.
"The key is to never under-estimate another team,"
said Basso. "We always go into a game with a positive
attitude and hope for the best results. However, we don't
try to be over-confident because opponents can definitely
surprise you. You have to expect the unexpected."
The squad knows what's at stake this weekend and
focusing on the task at hand will be key.
"Newmarket is in last place...We need to make sure we play our game and not let the other team dictate our performance," said fullback Lauren Mirabelli. "We don't take the competition lightly. Every game we've played, including all the wins, we've had to work really hard. We've managed to keep focused in the majority of our games and this will not change as we would like to maintain our undefeated record."
