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, bi-weekly and/or monthly sport-specific or league updates will offer a wide array of statistical tidbits, athlete profiles and meet results for participating clubs. Rayside Soccer will be featured monthly during the summer months) - next update is August 11th

They are perhaps the most aptly named team within the youth competitive soccer ranks in Sudbury. Pioneers to some extent within their own organization, the Rayside U-13 competitive girls soccer team represent the lone entry representing the Rayside-Balfour Minor Soccer Association in SRCSL (Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League) play this summer. They are "Rebels with a Cause", so to speak.

And that cause is clearly soccer for the 17 young ladies who enter their third season of play together, second within the ranks of the SRCSL. In 2006, a handful of RBSA volunteers polled parents about the possibility of assembling both a U-11 boys and girls all-star team to enter the Sudbury Panhellenic Soccer Tournament that July.

With sufficient interest expressed in both camps, the teams added a second tournament stop in Collingwood, with both squads struggling to remain competitive against teams who had generally played together much longer. The on-field struggles left girls head coach John Purdon fully prepared to face the reality that the team would fold heading into 2007. Yet it seemed he had underestimated the resolve of the girls who endured more than their fair share of lopsided losses the previous summer.

"The team was really born out of the demand of the girls", admits Purdon. Taking registration in the late winter and early spring months of 2007, Purdon was surprised to field a still large number of enquiries asking about the soon-to-be U-12 girls competitive team.

"It's a work in progress, but the girls are a really tight knit group....and they are a lot of fun to coach", says Purdon with a smile. Tangible progress, it seems, was being made. Facing SRCSL competition in regular season play for the first time ever, the U-12 Rebels won a pair of late season games last August to squeak their way into the playoffs before bowing to the division's top team, S.C. Italia Diavoli 1-0 in an exciting semi-final battle.

Purdon acknowledges that the close loss to the more extablished Diavoli crew helped fuel the competitive fires of his troops. The team started playing throughout the winter, assembling at Chelmsford Valley District Composite School in an effort to further their soccer skills. Still, it's apparent that Purdon, a long-time player and coach within the local soccer ranks, has absolutely no trouble keeping things in perspective.

"Winning is so secondary to me....I'm passionate about kids learning to compete and learning the life skills that go way beyond soccer", he says steadfastly. In fact, he knew full well the learning curve would be steep as he took a group of purely recreational houseleague players and made the move to rep soccer.

"The keys were fundamental skill development and team structure. Most of my girls didn't even know what a midfielder was when we first started", laughs Purdon. "And they are learning about self-sacrifice for the team. The great thing is that they have a real passion for soccer."

Not particularly suprising was the fact that the Rayside ladies would face, across the board, far more aggressive competition in battling for ball possession, field position every time they would step out on the pitch. "At the beginning of last year, we were a very easy team to play against. Now, you're going to have to fight to beat us", Purdon says proudly.

While steps forward have clearly been made, Purdon knows there is still plenty of work to be done. A three-game stint at the Lake Superior Cup in Sault Ste Marie in early June produced losses of 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0 - scores that were quite competitive but no victories for the Rayside crew. "We couldn't score a goal to save our lives", jokes the talkative coach. "We still need to work on skill development, and our conditioning could still be better...but we are learning to play as a team."

"The team", when it comes to the Rebels donning the Rayside banner for competitive youth soccer in Sudbury. The 2008 roster for the Rayside-Balfour Rebels includes: Renelle Carriere, Stephanie Chase, Brittany Bradley, Maxime Hogue, Danielle Grenier, Kassandra Dow, Meghan Miller, Kelsey Dupuis, Emily Luong, Riley McEwen, Melissa Bergeron, Chelsey Osborne, Bethany Purdon, Julie Benoit, Celine Lepage, Taylor Rouleau and Paige Gionet.

The Rebels coaching staff includes manager Chantal Rheaume and trainer Marty Osborne.