Our WOLF PACK is experiencing some unprecedented, combined success. Four of our seven teams are ‘Top of the Table‘ in the Ottawa-Carleton Soccer League’s MR3, MR4, OT6, and MOT4 divisions and our MR2, OT1, and OT5 teams are in the top 5th and 6th places.
We are grateful to our members for their efforts!
MR2
BYE-BYE-BYE!
Editor’s Note: Due to the Canada Day weekend, our Wolves MR2 team had a BYE week, therefore no game was scheduled.
WOLVES 1
CANADA 1
MR3
Our WOLVES MR3 Maintain 1st Place!
by Team Coach, Roozbeh Manesh
Game played July 3, 2024
The Westboro Wolves ‘Persian Cheetahs’ are mid-season Champions in the OCSL’s MR3 division.
In our last match of the first half season, our Wolves managed to overcome the Fitzroy team with a close 3-2 victory. By creating a gap with their nearest competitor, we solidified our lead at the top of the table.
Our ‘Players of the Game’ were Mohsen and Milad.
Congratulations!
WOLVES 3
FITZROY 2
MR4
BE PROUD !
by Team Manager, Tony Zito
Game played July 2, 2024
I am extremely pleased on how ALL of our team played in this game.
It would have been very easy for us to fold our tent and call it a day after our opponents led 2-0 and were having the run of play. They took away our space with their quick press and our communication was lacking.
But … the hearts and souls of our Wolf Pack weren’t going to roll over that easily.
We were reminded of the basics of the ABC…Always Be Communicating! That led to our resurgence.
More adjustments were made to counter their very predictable attack. It all started with one goal, and it led to a spirited second that put us level at the half.
We had several great runs and effective pressure from our midfielders.
If we lost a ball, we fought hard to get it back!
Our back line was terrific, especially in the last 5 minutes when they were awarded free kick after free kick.
You ALL came to play, you can see we wanted this victory and your efforts were on full display.
BE PROUD!
Our ‘Players of the Game’…. the Two Kevins! The celebratory post-game song chosen was ‘My Type’ by Saint Motel.
WOLVES 4
WHITE EAGLES 3
OT1
A STRONG Start for our WOLVES OT1!
by Team Coach, Mark Burger
Game played July 5, 2024
The first half of the season wrapped up on Friday with a disappointing result. On a muggy evening out at Tauvette field, the Wolves started the game with more players than the opposition, in a first for the season. It marked the season debut of Kay, coming in off an ankle injury, and showing all the effects of a long layoff. The home team, sporting similar purple jerseys, forced the Wolves into their white jerseys. Before they could blink, the Wolves struck immediately after kickoff with a beautiful one-time curling volley by Dom Morgante into the opposite low corner. The Wolves were more shocked than the opposition, but alas, this goal-of-the-season candidate was called back for offside. The Wolves did shake this off and continued to apply early pressure, taking a 2-0 lead with two goals from a hobbling Liam Smithies. AC Viola responded with a goal of their own, off of an unfortunate giveaway, to half the lead before the break.
The second half started brightly, with the Wolves stretching their lead to 3-1, with a Mike Popeil effort. Unfortunately, from that point on, there were only low lights to report. Miscommunication on a pass back to the keeper led to a goal, then a foul in the box led to a goal, then missed coverage led to a goal. The longer the game went on in muggy conditions, the more AC Viola dominated the match. Despite our final push, the Wolves could not come back.
Dymtro Khonko put in a valiant tailgating post-match effort with some cold bevies and pizza.There was post-match entertainment in the form of a miniature TV screen to watch Canada play Venezuela, accompanied by thousands of mosquitoes.
Thanks to our Wolves MR3’s Jon Regali for joining us for this game. It’s much appreciated.
Two straight losses have dropped the Wolves to 3-2-2 so will want to return to winning ways as the second half of the schedule kicks off this Friday.
WOLVES 3
FIORENTINA 4
OT5
Our WOLVES OT5 Needed More Sugar and Less Spice!
by Team Player, Adam Black
Game played July 5, 2024
The July 5th match up against rival West Ottawa Jets marked the seventh game on the schedule for our Wolves OT5 and they were certainly eager to get back in the win column! Now, having grown accustomed to playing under the lights during their usual 8:30 PM evening games, the Wolves were venturing into somewhat unfamiliar territory in this one, getting a rare early start while playing as the visiting team at the Richmond Lions Park.
Perhaps it was simple unpreparedness or some might argue it to be a general case of indigestion, regardless, the Wolves got off to an extremely slow start and paid the price by falling behind in the early goings of this match. There were moments of fight on display as game-play continued but the team was unable to capitalize on their opportunities. This included a penalty-kick that was awarded mid-way through the second-half as tenacious our striker, “Sugar” Ryan Schulz drew a penalty while pressing heavily towards the opposition goal. Here again, the goalkeeper made a brilliant save. Notably, also earning a yellow card for his spirited efforts on the night was Robbie “the flower” Lafleur! In the end, there just wasn’t enough spirit to go around and our Wolves found themselves defeated.
The team now looks forward to kicking off at their usual 8:30 PM start time in their next match against the Carleton Place Rangers OT5.
Our ‘Player of the Game’ – “Sugar” Ryan Schulz
WOLVES 0
JETS 4
OT6
One GAME, TWO VIEWS!
First View…Our WOLVES OT6 Late Push Secures FIRST Place!
by Team Asst. Manager, Jamie Harris
Game played July 5, 2024
This was very much a team win!
Much like last week, we were able to control large parts of the game, and faced some late-game adversity, but were able to refocus and claim all 3 points.
We controlled much of the game on the strength of stellar midfield play kicked off by Perparim Dauti and Hasim Hoti, who dominated the opening 10-15 minutes of play and had Lynwood on their heels. The midfield rotation of Ted Pilon, Mahamadou Samake, and MR3 call-ups Roozbeh and Mahdi kept the competitive level high.
The defense played nearly mistake-free, with Lynwood only capitalizing on our 1 major miscue. Offensively, the strikers and wingers were able to generate some decent chances against a team who’ve only given up 5 goals through 6 previous by playing 5 at the back. Mo from our MR3 team was unlucky not to make more solid contact on a cross from the right-hand side from Vincent Wienecke, who was able to get in behind that back 5 on a long pass from Ted that would have left our very own midfield maestro Faisal Boty impressed. In the end, it was the nerve of Salvador Herencia Carrasco on a 1st half penalty and some great hold-up play from Kevin Ridgway from our MR4 team to layoff for Luca Ruggiero’s late game ‘nervy’ winner that nudged what was a very tightly contested match, over the finish line.
We want to extend a huge thank you to our club mates Roozbeh Manesh, Mohammad Ahmadi, and Mahdi Asadi from the Wolves MR3 team and Kevin Ridgway from our MR4 team for making time in their schedules to help our team with numbers this week. Having subs in that heat was a competitive advantage for us. Roozbeh was kind enough to live-stream the game for Q, who was away. We cannot wait for the highlights!
Our ‘Player of the Game‘ was Luca Ruggiero, who scored that important game-winning goal!
Second View…
by Teammate, Salvador Herencia Carrasco
This week, the OT6 Wolves played against the OASC Lynwood Red Star at our home field. This was an important match as we played against the top team in our division. A victory for the Wolves meant taking the lead in OT6, depending on other results.
Due to injuries and summer plans, we had to recruit other players from the Wolves club to have a good roster. Thanks to clubmates Roozbeh Manesh, Mohammad Amadi, and Mahdi Asadi from the MR3 team and Kevin Ridgway from our MR4 squad, we had enough players for such an important game. Thanks, guys, for showing up!
The OT6 Wolves started the match dominating the game and controlling the ball. Lynwood had only 5 goals against the entire season, thanks to a good goalkeeper and a compact D-line. However, our team generated some scoring chances, and we were careful not to give room for a fast break. In an offensive play, Ada Kennedy made a good run inside the box and got fouled. It was a PK for our OT6 Wolves. Salvador took the penalty kick, giving us the 1-0 lead. Despite other scoring chances, the first half ended with 1-0.
During the second half, Lynwood put more players forward and started to pressure us. However, our mid and D-lines worked together, keeping their scoring chances to a minimum. 10 minutes into the second half, the game was now balanced, with scoring chances on both sides. Vincent, Mo, Ami, and Jeff had good chances, but the ball just wouldn’t go in. Just after the water break, Lynwood tied the game in a confusing play inside the area. After that, it was almost a 13-minute shift where no team could make any substitutions because the play would not stop. With 9 minutes to go, we finally had a chance to substitute our tired players. In a quick attack from the right, Kevin Ridgway from our Wolves MR4 crossed the ball in the area, finding Luca with a chance to score.
With 4 minutes to go, including overtime, the entire team played as one, keeping Lynwood away from our keeper Bryan Lefebvre’s area. The final result was a victory for our OT6 Wolves, with Luca being selected as the MVP of the match. Due to the other results, the OT6 Wolves now lead the division. Our next game will be against the Ottawa Bears, which will be our final game in our home field.
WOLVES 2
RED STAR 1
MOT4
Our WOLVES MOT4 Step-over WARRIORS!
by Team Manager, Charles Vincent
Game played July 5, 2024
Another Friday and another game… but this one promised to stand out as we were facing our first game without our keeper. Our one loss of the year came in the opening game when Dom Pecora was absent, so the question was whether we could find our groove without the calming presence and steady hands of our regular keeper.
With temperatures and humidity, both, on the rise, we were also hoping for solid numbers. Fortunately, we had 17 guys to start the game, giving us the ability to rotate guys in and out regularly… and with two water breaks per half (gotta love Masters) we were all set.
The game started with a feeling-out period as both sides played a relatively conservative style. It was not long, however, before Alonso Gartner jumped on an error by their D and then caught their keeper out of the net for a sweet finish. It’s not quite Venezuela v. Canada (more on that later), but it’s a great finish nonetheless.
From there we started to create more chances, but could not find the back of the net. Like Canada, later that night, we risked regretting those early misses as the Warriors countered with some speed up front, creating a few openings. Our D held strong, however, except for one foul that probably should have been a penalty kick for the Warriors, but we got a favourable spot outside the box (or maybe it was Roberto Smilovich who spotted the ball).
Late in the first half, we got a couple of good breaks created by our striker, Oscar Arrieta, when their goalie kicked it off their defender, and then our midfielder, Bill McIntyre, scored off a defender after a strong run to the by-line.
The second half settled quickly when Curvan Alexander opened his account with a lovely finish. One more from Alonso gave us a five-goal differential and essentially killed off the game.
Someone forgot to tell the Warriors that we had won already, and they started to press our net again in the last fifteen minutes of the game. What had been a relatively quiet night for our stand-in keeper turned suddenly busy. One shot from the 18 required a stretching tip over the bar… the subsequent corner called for a clearing punch… then, a late break (which caught our keeper in no man’s land) required a firm right hand to stop a goal-bound strike. With this blitz quelled, we then held on for a final 5-0 scoreline.
While Dom was not there, I suspect he will still provide his unique perspective on the game. What he missed was a Paolo Rossi-like step-over turn from Tony Zito (which honestly should have earned him man of the match for that alone)… Matthew Crosier’s pinpoint passes and crosses from the right… Andrew Specogna’s beautiful through ball set up at least one, if not two of our goals… Tom Prowse’s standout performance at right back (how did it take us 7 games to find out he is so solid at the back)… and Gerry Valente’s 45-second cameo until he re-injured himself (sadly, only the second shortest time to injury this season thanks to Dwayne Crona’s 8-second appearance at Richmond).
With a sixth straight win (and fourth straight clean sheet) under our belts, a number of us retired to the bar to watch Canada take down Venezuela… like us, Canada could have used Dom, as he would never have left himself exposed like Max Crepeau… but all was forgiven when he came up big in the shoot out.
WOLVES 5
WARRIORS 0
Enjoy the rest of the week.
FORZA WOLVES
