For the first time in eight games, the Sudbury Panhellenic ladies surrendered a goal. That slight misstep on Saturday, however, was not nearly enough to derail an unbeaten streak that has now reached eleven games.
The Sudbury squad settled for a 1-1 draw in their weekend opener with the Bolton Wanderers, chalking up a convincing 5-1 win the very next day. After scoring the only Panhellenic goal in game one, Alex Eaton added two more on Sunday, with Brigitte Lamothe chipping in with two of her own and Laura Ozoria rounding out the attack for the locals.
The core of this team dates back a decade or more, though more recent turnover has seen Panhellenic add the likes of Laurentian alumni Dayna Corelli, Renee Jacques and Rose Fata to the group.
"Every year, the core has been dwindling a bit," acknowledged defender Jenny Eaton, the twin sister of the weekend goal-scoring hero. "The main core has been the Persi girls."
Indeed, the 2013 version of the team features Emma Persi, Teghan Persi, Erin Persi and Shannon Persi. Small wonder then that they are joined by the parents, Joe and Carol Persi, on the sidelines, providing the coaching guidance for the tight-knit crew.
"Joe and Carol are just amazing coaches," said Eaton. "It's been a pleasure to be on their team for all of these years. This is a group of people that we love to play soccer with."
After a slow start that would see Panhellenic drop their opening two games of OWSL (Ontario Women's Soccer League) action this summer, the crew has been virtually unstoppable. Their record of 10-1-3 in games played since June 22nd leaves the ladies eyeing a finish of no worse than fourth place in the ten team loop.
Panhellenic will close out their summer campaign with a final two game homestand as the second-place Burlington Bayhawks (12-2-1) pay a visit to Sudbury. Game times are set for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday (August 24th) and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday (August 25th), with both encounters slated for the James Jerome Sports Complex.