Silver lining for Strathmore soccer stars

Laurence Heinen

Times Reporter

 

A pair of Strathmore soccer players helped their Calgary club team win a silver medal at the U-14 Cup during the BMO National Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick, from Oct. 6-11.

Midfielder Leighton Johnson and defender Troy Schneider, both 14, helped lead the NSD Rangers to a 3-0 record in the round robin to qualify as the top seed out of their pool heading into the playoff round.

After opening up the tournament with a 5-0 win over Dieppe, NB, on Oct. 6, the Rangers followed up with a 3-0 victory over Suburban FC from Nova Scotia the following day. Johnson scored twice against Suburban FC to lead the way.

“It was good just helping out the team,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to score like that at Nationals.”

The Rangers rounded out the preliminary round on Oct. 9 with a 2-0 triumph over Fundy, NB, before edging the British Columbia champion Surrey Guildford United 1-0 the next day in semifinal action. Johnson set up teammate Tristian Dingman for the lone goal of the game.

“I played it over top of a couple guys and (Dingman) just tapped it in,” Johnson said. “That was exciting too.”

Through four games, the Rangers had yet to allow a goal heading into the tournament final against the Quebec champion Braves d’Ahuntsic, who beat the Ontario representative Brampton Blast 2-1 in the other semifinal.

“We just shut them down and never gave them much time on the ball,” said Schneider of how the Rangers were able to keep their opponents off the scoresheet. “We pressured them as a team.”

That defensive success continued for the Rangers all the way into double overtime of the final before the Braves finally scored to take home the title.

“At the game it was kind of sad and all that, but now it’s good because we got second in Canada,” Schneider said.

“If you think about it, we’re the second best team in Canada, that’s pretty good,” added Johnson, while noting that the Rangers had their fair share of chances to win the game as well. “I think we missed three good chances that we could have scored on. We just couldn’t put it in the net.”

While both Johnson and Schneider referred to competing at nationals as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience, the pair actually also helped Alberta win a bronze medal at the Nutrilite All Stars BMO National Championships in Sherbrooke, Que., from July 20-25.

With a pair of medals to add to their accomplishments, Schneider and Johnson still have further aspirations for the future. 

“I’d like to get a scholarship,” Johnson said. “Somewhere in the States would be good.”

Like his friend, Schneider would also like to get a scholarship so he can continue playing competitive soccer while getting an education at the same time.

Beyond that, he’d eventually like to play professionally.

“I’d like to go somewhere in Europe, but it would probably more likely be in the States or in Canada,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty tough to get over to Europe.”