In the Canada Games Men’s Soccer Finals last Friday, Team Ontario was defeated by Quebec by a score of 3-0, in an exciting clash between two powerhouses.

The result was a difficult one for Team Ontario who largely dominated their round robin games and semifinals, outscoring their opponents by a total of 12-0, including at 2-0 victory over New Brunswick in the semifinals to advance to the gold medal game.

In the finals, Team Ontario also found some success, controlling the ball and holding much of the possession throughout the game, but ultimately they failed to produce goal scoring chances.

On the other hand, Quebec was happy and comfortable conceding the ball in the middle of the park, setting up a strong, well organized defence that often lead great counter attacks, and moving the ball around well when they got it.

“We played against a team that was very good in transition with a clear game plan where they didn’t mind not having the ball, and did a great job getting forward when they got it,” said Team Ontario Head Coach, Anthony Capotosto. “We possessed the ball well, but didn’t do enough with the possession, specifically in the final third, getting behind their lines and finishing.”

Quebec’s game plan paid off in the 23rd minute when Forward, Ishmaël Jones scored the opener, followed by a second in the 58th minute by Defenceman Mandell François, to give Quebec a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the later parts of the game.

After the second, Team Ontario responded by changing their game plan in an effort to get back into it. They found some success, finally creating good chances including a headed effort that was cleared off the line, but ultimately they failed to breach the staunch Quebec defence and standout goalkeeper. Quebec added a late goal as Ontario pushed forward for equalizing goals.

“We represented Ontario very well,” said Capotosto reflecting on the tournament. “The professionalism, sportsmanship, quality and behaviour of our players and staff are all things that we can be proud of.”

The Team Ontario Women’s side opened their tournament yesterday with a whopping 18-0 victory over Yuokon. They play game two against Prince Edward Island on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Catch the action on the 2022 Niagara Canada Games Livestream.