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Pitch perfect season for Sarnia Spirit Selects

Barry Wright One of the Sarnia's best-kept sports secrets this year was a local soccer side that competed a perfect season.
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The Sarnia Spirit Selects went unbeaten in winning their division, League Cup and Presidents Cup in the London and Area Women’s Soccer League this past season. Submitted Photo

Barry Wright

One of the Sarnia's best-kept sports secrets this year was a local soccer side that competed a perfect season.

The Sarnia Spirit Selects were unbeaten in the Recreational West Division of the London and Area Women's Soccer League, prevailing in 14 straight games and outscoring their opposition by a whopping 91 goals to six.

They also won the League Cup with a 4-nil win over West Elgin, and beat the host club 2-1 in a shootout two weeks ago to capture the season-ending President's Cup at the Taxandria soccer facility near Arkona.

“It was a great season,” said team manager and player Dina Arruda. “It was definitely remarkable.”

After finishing second in the division last season, she knew the club had talent. But even she was surprised with the overwhelming success they enjoyed this summer.

Arruda admitted keeping the players motivated was a challenge at times with so many games wildly one-sided.

“You feel bad for the other team,” she added. “You just want the clock to keep moving and the game to be over.”

Arruda says the club, made up of players in their 20s, 30s and 40s, will test their talents at a higher level next season when they move up a division and play against teams from in and around London, Sarnia and Chatham.

“It'll be a challenge,” Arruda said of the move. “But, we think we'll be pretty competitive.”

She says the President's Cup shootout victory over Taxandria, a third division team, was a good barometer for the coming season.

“It was a great game,” she said. “Very exciting.”

The players on the club were Arruda, Amanda Moorey, Katie Randall, Candace de Bock, Sarah Prior, Sadie Campbell, Joline Guindon, Brittany Ansell, Jane Pilkey, Chrissie MacNamara, Kellie Williams, Kelly Carson, Candace Lefebvre, Jess Milne, Meghan Campbell, Heidi Depooter, Cori Savo, Amy Van Veller.

Savo and Randall led the Spirit with 24 and 14 goals respectively.

The coaches were Daniel Thomas and Justin Randall.

The entire roster is expected to return next season, said Arruda.


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