Thirty-eight soccer teams representing places such as Espanola, Peterborough, Ajax, Mississauga, Fergus and Ramara travelled to Huntsville recently to participate in the third annual Muskoka 5-on-5 tournament.

The popularity of the tournament continues to grow as the host Huntsville Soccer Club had several teams on a waiting list wanting to participate. The club considered expanding the fields at the public schools and high school, but a shortage iof referees made that difficult.

This tournament is different from regular season tournaments as only five players – a goalkeeper and four players – are on the field at one time as opposed to 11 players, and the game is played on a smaller field. The game is very fast-paced with substitutions occurring on the fly. The atmosphere generated by several teams from different age groups playing at the same time on adjacent fields, the sunshine, the barbecue, and the nature of the game was that of fun and love for the sport.

There were eight age divisions participating: under-10 boys; under-12 girls; under-12 boys; under-14 boys; under-15 girls; under-16 boys; under-8 girls; under-18 boys. Huntsville teams won the under-12 girls’, under-12 boys’ and under-14 boys’ division. The under-18 girls qualified for the finals and finished in second place.

Huntsville’s under-10 boys’ team #1 had three losses; scores were 2-1 against Huntsville #2, 3-0 against Schomberg, and 7-0 against Innisfil. Marlon Roldan scored for Huntsville #1. They played Innisfil in the semifinals and lost 2-1 to Innisfil. Brad Wilms scored for Huntsville.

The Huntsville under-10 boys’ team #2 had a win, a tie, and a loss in the preliminary round. They defeated Huntsville #1 2-1, tied Schomberg 1-1, and lost 3-0 to Innisfil. Takiah Ebbs Picken and Devon Burmeister were the goal-scorers. Huntsville #2 lost to Schomberg 3-1 in the semifinal round. Eric MacNeil scored Huntsville’s lone goal.

Huntsville’s Millenium Carpentry sponsored under-12 girls’ teams had a very successful tournament. Huntsville #1 ended the preliminary play with two wins and two ties. They defeated Bracebridge 3-1 and Gravenhurst 5-0, and tied Huntsville #1 0-0 and Schomberg 2-2. Goalscorers for the Huntsville 1 squad were: Emily Britton (3); Maddison Fedorowich (1); Rachel Miller (1); Molly Paulsen (1); Holly Lupton (2); Claire Litchfield (2). The Huntsville #2 team had two wins, a tie, and a loss in the preliminary round. They defeated Bracebridge and Gravenhurst 2-0, they tied Huntsville #1 0-0, and they lost to Schomberg 1-0. Goals were scored by Laura Stilwell (3), Ella Sullivan (1), and Emily Smertka (1). Huntsville #2 played Schomberg in the semifinals and came out with a 1-0 win. Sadie Hoderich scored the winning goal. Huntsville 2 then met Huntsville 1 in the finals. Huntsville #1 won the tournament championship defeating Huntsville #2 by a score of 3-1. Goal-scorers for Huntsville #1 were: Fedorowich Lupton and Claire Litchfield. Teanna Wettlaufer scored the goal for Huntsville #2.

The Sunset Inn-sponsored under-12 boys’ teams also had a fun and successful tournament. Huntsville #1 had a win (3-2 against West Muskoka) and two losses (1-0 against Huntsville #2 and 3-1 against the Scugog Lakers). Huntsville’s goalscorers were: John Burmeister; Brandon Wilson (2). In the preliminary round robin, Huntsville #2 had two wins and a tie. They defeated Huntsville #1 by a score of 1-0 and West Muskoka 7-0, and they tied Scugog Lakers 0-0. Huntsville #2 goals were scored by Cedrick Ross (2), Walker Vietch (1), Jamieson Hildebrand (4), Puran Patel (1). Huntsville #1 met Huntsville #2 in the semifinals; Huntsville #2 narrowly defeated Huntsville #1 2-1.

Huntsville #2 then advanced to the finals against Scugog and they came out tournament champions by defeating the Lakers 2-1.

The Huntsville Attainable Landscaping under-14 boys’ team had a very successful tournament with both teams facing each other in the finals. Huntsville #1 was undefeated in the preliminary round. They had a 3-2 score against Huntsville #2, a 5-1 win over Ramara, and a 5-2 win against Espanola. Huntsville players who notched goals were David Stilwell (5), Arjun Jindal (3), Bruno Roldan (3) and Chris Demaine (1). The Huntsville #2 team lost to Huntsville #1, defeated Espanola 4-1, and won against Ramara 3-0. Goalscorers were Daniel Taylor (6), Aaron Chapman (3) and Eli Honderich (1).

Huntsville #1 faced Ramara in the semifinals and earned a berth into the finals with a 2-0 win. Daniel Taylor and Nick Anderson scored for Huntsville. The Huntsville #2 team met Espanola in the semifinals and they too earned a trip to the finals by winning 3-2. Arjun Jindal scored two goals, while teammate Stilwell scored 1.

Huntsville #2 came out as tournament champions with a 2-1 victory in the finals. Stilwell, Taylor, and Chapman scored in the final match.

The Camp Mini-Yo-We-sponsored under-15 girls also entered two teams into the tournament. Huntsville #1 ended the round robin with three wins and a loss. They defeated Huntsville #2 2-1, Dundas West 1-0, and Gravenhurst 3-1. Their single loss was against Dundas East  by a score of 1-0. Goalscorers were Leah Calleja, Krista Nelson, and Rebecca Allen (4). They met Dundas West in the semifinals and lost 4-1. Allen scored the Huntsville goal.

Huntsville #2 ended the preliminary round with three losses and a win. They defeated Gravenhurst 4-0 and lost to Dundas West 4-1, Huntsville #1 2-1, and Dundas East 2-0. Scorers were Clarissa Hildebrand, Megan Potts (2) and Ali Larade.

The Scarborough Lexus-sponsored under-16 boys’ team competed in a division comprised of seven teams. The Huntsville #1 team went undefeated after the preliminary round. They obtained wins against Ramara #1 (4-1), Ramara #2 (3-1), West Muskoka (5-0), and the competitive Ajax team (2-0).  

Goal-scorers were Ben Vander Staay (3); Roland Tusz (7); Riley McGarrity (2); Cameron Anderson (2). This record advanced them to the semifinals against Ramara #1. It was a close game, but Ramara came out on top with a 3-2 win. Vander Staay scored both of Huntsville’s goals.

The Huntsville #2 team had a win (6-0 against West Muskoka), two ties (2-2 against Ramara 2 and 4-4 against Shelbourne), and a loss (3-1 against Ramara 1) in the preliminary round. Scoring for Huntsville were: Scott Litchfield (2), Jon Percival (3), Landon Stachiw (1), Brett Bullen (3) and Connor Brooks (3).

The Hutcheson Sand & Mixes-sponsored under-18 girls’ team ended up in second place. They were first after the preliminary round, defeating Bracebridge 3-0, Clarkson 1-0, North Mississauga #2 3-1, and losing to North Mississauga 1 1-0. Scoring for Huntsville were Veronica Medon (6), Marlee Bullen (1) and Meg Wallace (1). They met North Mississauga #1 in the semi-finals and won 1-0 on a goal by Medon.

With a delay in the start of the semifinal game, Huntsville had no rest before their final match against a strong Fergus team. Fergus came out with a well-deserved 3-1 win. Carly Litchfield scored Huntsville’s only goal on a penalty kick.

The Haydn Kirby-sponsored under-18 boys’ team faced some very aggressive teams where the tempers often became heated. Their preliminary round ended with two wins, a tie, and a loss. They defeated West Muskoka 4-3 and Mississauga #2 6-3. They tied Mississauga #1 1-1, and lost to Peterborough’s competitive team 4-2. Scoring for Huntsville were Matt MacKinnon (1), Brett King (6), Ben Murat (3) and Neil Burnside (3). Huntsville was matched up against Mississauga #2 in the semifinals. They did not play them as well as they did in the preliminary round and lost 4-1. Mike Beatty scored for Huntsville.

This tournament marked the end of the outdoor season for the Huntsville all-star teams.