The OSA News Bulletin  

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VAUGHAN, ON – The North London Galaxy and Burlington Heat met in the Under 17 Girls Ontario Cup Final, and the Burlington Heat’s name seemed appropriate considering the temperature on the Ontario Soccer Centre’s field turf throughout the day.

As was the case in the preceding U14 Boys and U16 Girls Finals, a ticket to the National Club Championships was at stake, compounding the pressure on the teams playing in a Provincial Cup final.

The Under 17 Ontario Cup Champions will represent the province in the Under 18 Division at Nationals in Fredericton, New Brunswick, later this October.

The tactical match saw a few good chances thwarted by excellent goal-keeping and attacking forays parried by stalwart defensive play on both sides.

The best chance for the Galaxy through the first 20 minutes into the second half came when Marisa Oliveira’s header from a corner went just wide of Burlington’s goal.

Minutes later, Burlington goalkeeper Julia Pios made an excellent save, diving to her left to tip the shot just wide to keep the score 0-0.

London looked to be building momentum, though, creating some positive combination plays to try and unlock Burlington’s defence.

But neither side was able to find the crucial goal before the final whistle, so the U17 Girls final was decided by Kicks from the Penalty Mark.

In the end, North London managed to keep their nerves in check and defeated Burlington in a thrilling match with a score of 4-2 on kicks from the penalty mark.

The North London Galaxy were crowned Ontario Cup Champions and, as another crowning glory for retiring coach, Jeff Painter, will look to bring home Gold for Ontario from the U18 Girls National Club Championships to be held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, from October 5-11th.

Final Score:
North London Galaxy 0(4) v 0(2) Burlington Heat (PK)

Reported by Rob Ferrari / OSA
Photo & Videos by Wolf Ruck / OSA

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