U13 Lightning wins Colasanti Cup

The Leamington U13 Lightning played in the Colasanti Cup Soccer Tournament over the weekend and came away with the championship.

During the round robin, Leamington beat Essex 4-1, Harrow 12-0, tied Wheatley 1-1 and lost to Kingsville 5-1.

With two wins and a tie, Leamington earned a spot in the championship game game against a very strong Kingsville team (4 and 0 in the round robin).

Leamington opened up the scoring with a powerful shot by Muhammed Alacatiy, from outside the box. Kingsville scored next to tie the game, but Charlie Ketler put Leamington back on top with a beautifully placed penalty shot.

Dario Verissimo put the game away with Leamington’s third goal late in the second half. Steve Belanger played a solid game in net for a 3-1 championship victory.

During the tournament, other goal scorers were Dylan Mellow and Sonny Coppola. Connor Rumble/Anastacio did an excellent job in net during the round robin. Alexander Rubino had three great games on defense and Christopher Raffoul’s two-way game was outstanding.

Sydnee Baeini showed she is a tough midfielder playing two full games Friday night without a break.

Success in the tournament was a result of good team play. Because of a short bench, players stepped into positions they normally didn’t play and handled the situation just fine.

U13 Lightning, front left to right: Dario Verissimo, Charlie Ketler, Sebastian Belanger, Alexander Rubino, Steve Belanger, Sonny Coppola, Chris Raffoul, Jaden Jraiche, Muhammed Alacatiy. Back row: Coach Bob, Aiden Thompson, Lily Sawatzky, Ethan Bowman, Karlin Mellow, Sydnee Baeini, Dylan Mellow, Connor Rumble/Anastacio, Coach Kristy.

Submitted photo