In an effort to provide a more consistent approach to offering coverage for the wide variety of sports that are highlighted on SudburySports.com, we've decided to include a new feature. Weekly and bi-weekly divisional or league updates will offer a wide array of statistical tidbits, roster updates, tournament results for participating teams. The Sudbury Canadians will be featured every Thursday - next update is August 10th

A full roster, it seems, can go a long way towards increased competitiveness and a much happier team. That's the lesson the Sudbury Canadian U-21 ladies appear to have taken from a pair of home games this weekend against the London X-Treme. After dropping their first eleven regular season games and being outscored 54-6, the Canadians were in need of a boost big time heading into play at the Cambrian College field.

And that boost came courtesy of the USL Sudbury Canadians. With the senior team having completed their season last weekend, USL regulars Samantha Falcioni, Sally Parent, Megan Schutt and Renee Borkovich all suited up with the younger crew and in the process, substantially solidified the oft-shorthanded roster.

The end result was the team's first two wins of the year as Kelsie Skilliter from Bracebridge, Stacey Watson, Stephanie Bell and goaltender Emily Duhaime scored a goal apiece in a 4-1 win over London on Saturday. With the X-Treme no longer taking the locals for granted 24 hours later, Megan Schutt recorded the hat-trick, leading the Canadians to a 4-3 win as Watson rounded out the scoring with her second of the weekend.

Duhaime, who split the weekend netminding duties with Stacy Carter, converted on a second half penalty kick in the opener as Sudbury head coach Dino Cacciotti opted to send his keeper the length of the field to attempt to close out the Sudbury scoring parade.

The weekend sweep was a refreshing change for Cacciotti, who acknowledged the obvious frustration of having played the bulk of his games with either no spares whatsoever or, worse still, a 10 player lineup. "I thought we were strong defensively and both goalies played well, strong enough to keep us in the game when needed", said Cacciotti.

Despite scoring two more goals in the weekend games than in all eleven previous games combined, Cacciotti noted that "defensive play was definately the key." After using a more aggressive 4-3-3 formation on Saturday, the long-time local coach opted for a more defensive 4-4-2 alignment on Sunday, suggesting that he fully expected a more pressured London attack in game two. "We likely caught them by surprise in the first game - I'm sure they looked at the standings", said Cacciotti.

While the addition of a handful of new players late in the season might be cause for concern in terms of team chemistry for many squads, Cacciotti suggested this wasn't the case with his crew. "The girls really appreciated the extra help because we've had to play short so much of the year...and we've had a regular mix of guest players so it's not like we had a full steady roster since day one", noted Cacciotti.

Game Notes: Numbers may still be an issue as the Canadians close out the OWSL Regional South Under-21 regular season play on August 12th and 13th versus London and Brams United after losing Stephanie Bell to a season-ending knee injury late in Saturday's game....with a number of the USL players preparing to begin university camps in the days following the U-21 season-ending games, some may decide not to travel south in two weeks time...even with the weekend additions, the U-21 Canadians were not carrying more than 13 or 14 players as Renee Jacques was not available for the weekend set due to a prior family commitment...

While both of the older Canadians clubs struggled to remain competitive through much of the 2006 season, that hasn't been the case for the U-14 girls who find themselves right in the middle of the pack playing in the Premier Division of the CGSL (Central Girls Soccer League) this year.

This past weekend, the team earned a split at home, stopping Markham 4-1 before dropping a tough 1-0 decision to first place Unionville-Milliken who extended their unbeaten string to eleven games, with ten wins and a tie lleaving the UMSC holding a 10-point advantage atop league standings.

Saturday's victory was highlighted by a two-goal performance from Cloe Lacasse while Caroline Blain and Kelsey Gasparini added singles. The Canadians held a 2-1 lead at the half before adding some insurance with a pair of goals in the final forty minutes.

Despite the close loss the next day, Sudbury head coach Frank Malvaso remained pleased with the showing of his club playing in the league for the first time. "The girls played really well - this game (SUnday) was a very good game" said Malvaso.

Although he has worked with the team for the past couple of years, the 2006 season has brought about a handful of changes as the U-14 ladies look to become increasingly competitive. "We have almost a brand new defense. I asked these players to make a change from where they had played and they've responded - we haven't been blown out", Malvaso noted.

Sitting with a record of 8-8-0 and currently in fifth place in the eleven team loop, Malvaso notes that the Canadians still have some areas that will need some work. "We knew going in that experience at this level might be a factor" he said. "We need to be a little stronger in the mid-field - it's a difficult age to be really effective as we need to adapt to the styles that other teams play. The reality is that while there is a mix of teams that play a possession game, the long ball can still be successful at this age", explained Malvaso.

As for the long-term outlook for this team, Malvaso is definately optomistic. "I look at the success that Giuseppe's team has enjoyed (1990 Panhellenic Girls) and think that this group may be the next crew that could be competitive at that level... but it's going to take some work" summarized the president of the Sudbury Canadians soccer club.

The Canadians will now catch their collective breath, enjoying a rare weekend off over the Civic Holiday before preparing to face the Toronto Eagles and East York one week later in Toronto.

Game Notes: The Canadians also earned a split in their last double-header weekend at home, losing 2-1 to Newmarket before doubling Etobicoke 6-3 on July 15th and 16th. Kristin Melneck accounted for the only Sudbury goal in the Saturday loss while Cloe Lacasse enjoyed a four-goal outing versus Etobicoke, with Serena San Cartier chipping in with a pair of markers.