Author of the article:
Jim Parker • Windsor Star
Published Jun 08, 2024 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 3 minute read
The Holy Names Knights pose with the championship banner after Saturday’s 2-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the gold-medal game at the OFSAA girls’ AAA soccer championship, which was played at Acumen Stadium. (WINDSOR STAR – JIM PARKER) win
There was no rebuild for the Holy Names Knights.
The team turned its first trip to the OFSAA girls’ AAA soccer championship in a decade into a gold-medal performance last year.
With nine players headed out the door to graduation, few might have expected the Knights to be back on top of the podium again this year.
“We had so much talent and, with losing nine seniors that were all so talented, we didn’t know what was going to happen this year,” said the Knights’ Anna Pozzi, who had both goals in Saturday’s final. “I always believed we could get this far.”
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The top-seeded Knights made it back-to-back titles on Saturday taking gold again with a 2-0 win over the London St. Thomas Aquinas Flames at Acumen Stadium. In the process, Holy Names became the first girls’ AAA team to win back-to-back titles since Burlington Nelson won in 1998 and 1999, which is long before any player on the field was born.
“I think we surprised a lot of people, but we all knew had it inside of us,” said Knights’ goalie Alessia Venosa, who posted her fifth shutout of the tournament in the final.
The Knights were one of three local teams to reach medal-round play on Saturday. The Lajeunesse Royals captured the silver medal at the OFSAA girls’ A soccer championship while the Westview Freedom Academy Falcons finished fourth at the OFSAA boys’ A soccer championship.
“It’s crazy, it doesn’t even feel real,” the 15-year-old Pozzi said of the title. “I’m so proud of everybody. Everyone worked so hard and wanted it and it showed. We fought to the very end.”
The Knights went unbeaten in pool play and conceded just a single goal in four games, which included a 2-1 win over the Flames in the opener.
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Holy Names needed overtime to move to the medal round with Pozzi scoring both goals in a 2-1 quarter-final win over Aurora Cardinal Carter.
Members of the Holy Names Knights gather to celebrate the team’s 2-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday to capture the gold medal at the OFSAA girls’ AAA soccer championship, which was played Saturday at Acumen Stadium. (WINDSOR STAR – JIM PARKER) win
The club’s stifling defence returned in Saturday’s 2-0 over Kitchener Resurrection with Pozzi and Alessia Fanella scoring in the semifinals to send the club to the gold-medal game.
Pozzi had the Knights up 1-0 just five minutes into the game, but Venosa had to be sharp to keep Holy Names in the lead.
“The keeper was excellent,” Knights’ head coach Marc Leonardi said. “She was a key piece.”
Pozzi pounced on a miscue in the Flames’ end in the latter stages of the second half and buried the chance to put the Knights in control with a 2-0 lead.
“Last year was crazy and this year we did it again and it’s even more crazy,” the 16-year-old Venosa said.
Even crazier is that the Knights have just five players in Grade 12 this season and could return just as strong next season.
“We do have a really young team,” said Pozzi, who is in Grade 10 along with Venosa. “Lots of Grade 9’s, lots of Grade 10’s and still more Grade 11’s. I still think we’re going to be strong next year.”
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Unranked headed into the tournament in Lincoln, Lajeunesse powered through pool play with an unbeaten 3-0 record and outscoring the opposition 11-0.
The Royals moved into the medal round with a 3-0 quarter-final win over Algonquin.
On Saturday, Lajeunesse secured a spot in the final with a 4-2 win over Belleville Nicholson with Sierra Gosselin scoring twice and Manuela Vettraino and Payton Quenneville adding single goals.
However, gold-medal hopes were dashed in the final with Gosselin scoring the only goal in a 6-1 loss to Toronto De La Salle.
“I am beyond proud of this group of ladies for their perseverance, talent and hard work,” said Royals’ head coach Kim Adams, who noted it was the school’s first top three performance in girls’ soccer. “We are wearing these silver medals proudly heading back to Windsor.”
Making the school’s first-ever trip to OFSAA, Westview went 2-1-1 to finish second in its pool and advance to the quarter-finals where the club upset Toronto Le College Francis 3-1.
However, in Saturday’s medal round, the club lost forward Mohammed Alshurafa and right back Abdi Muktari to injury and fell 3-1 to Hamilton Christian despite Feroz Hamdard giving the Falcons an early 1-0 leads. That sent the team to the bronze-medal game, which Woodbridge Holy Cross took 4-0.
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