Lakeshore u-12 AA girls perfect so far

The Lac St. Louis Youth League’s A and AA inter-city soccer playoffs will come to a conclusion this Saturday with finals on different levels taking place in Dorval, Ile Bizard and Lachine.

For some clubs that have qualified to play for titles, the successful run in the playoffs have come as a second blessing, salvaging what was perhaps not such a sweet regular season. For others, a trip to the championship match is a mere continuation to what has been a splendid campaign from start to finish.

Several teams definitely fit into the latter category, including the Lakeshore under-12 AA girls’ side, which along with the Lakeshore u-13 AA girls and u-18 AA boys went undefeated during the regular season. For the u-12 AA girls though, what made this season so special – it finished with a 14-0 record, giving up only two goals while scoring 49 and has qualified to play in Saturday’s final against Pierrefonds in Dorval– was the fact it was the second consecutive season it had run the table without losing a match. It was the only undefeated team in the Lac St. Louis region in all age categories last season.

“This is a committed group,” said Lakeshore u-12 AA girls’ assistant coach Christian de Saint-Rome. “There is talent among them as well, and they’ve been working hard for a long time, playing in many outside tournaments. Some have been around for the past five years. When you have dedication combined with talent, the results are going to be positive.”

Speaking of tournaments, one member of the Lakeshore u-12 AA girls’ side found herself in France recently, away from her Lakeshore teammates, representing her country instead. Isabella Corbeil was one of three girls on an all-boys’ Canadian squad that finished 20th at the Danone Nations Cup, a World Cup style tournament held in Paris that draws many of the finest u-12 players from around the globe.

“I think our team played really well but could have done better if we weren't in such a strong pool with Russia and France,” said Corbeil, a Hudson resident who is one of four out-of-region players on the Lakeshore squad. “Personally, I learned to play really fast, to be quicker to shoot and not to wait for the ball.”

Besides Corbeil and her Lakeshore teammates, another squad that has qualified to play in for the title this Saturday is the boys’u-14 A Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot (NDIP) side, which faces St. Laurent in Lachine.

“Ours is a young club with a brief intercity history,” said Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot head coach Neil Sellors. “When we entered the league we quickly found out who the big clubs were and what we up against. Some clubs have as many as five times as many kids playing soccer than NDIP. They are usually the powerhouses of the league, but we have shown that any club can win.”