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OPDL Teams Show Well Across North America

By OSA News, 01/19/17, 8:00PM EST

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A number of OPDL teams have been grabbing attention across North America with recent performances at tournaments and showcases.

A number of OPDL teams have been grabbing attention across North America with recent performances at tournaments and showcases. 

Among the successes, the Ottawa South United Force Academy Girls team, which featured a group of players from the 2001 and 2002 age groups, returned from the Disney Senior Showcase as champions. 

The U-16 OPDL Burlington Bayhawks also qualified to take part in the Disney Showcase and returned with a bronze medal for their third placed finish. 

Oakville SC's U-13 Boys squad captured the U-13/U-14 Boys diivison championship at the New Years Kick Off Tournament at Players Paradise. 

Markham's 2001 OPDL Girls won the Elite Silver Division at the CASL Showcase down in North Carolina. Markham's U-15 Boys OPDL squad also performed well at the CASL, caputring the Premiere Black Division title. 

The 2003 North Toronto Nitro Boys participated in the Disney Junior Soccer Showcase and lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champions. 

“We are proud of the successes our OPDL teams are having at home and abroad. It speaks to the quality of players we are developing in the OPDL,” said Gary Miller, Ontario Soccer Association Technical Director. “Having the opportunity to be able to show what our players are capable of doing, in big environments, is fantastic, and our focus continues to be on developing Ontario’s athletes for their next stage of development.”

Here are the breakdown's for each club:

OSU Force Academy Girls champions at Disney Senior Showcase

The Ottawa South United Force Academy Girls returned from The Disney Senior Showcase as champions. Over the course of four games, the group of players from the 2001 and 2002 age groups went undefeated, winning three games and tying one. They went on to defeat South Carolina United 4-1 in the tournament final. Joining the OSU girls for this event were two guest players from Whitby, as part of the working relationships established within the OPDL. 

The showcase had over 100 different college coaches and universities there over the course of the week scouting the players and looking for recruits. 

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Burlington Bayhawks U-16 Girls take bronze at Disney

The Burlington Bayhawks U-16 OPDL Girls team took home bronze from the coveted Disney Showcase, which features top-ranked teams from across North America. 

Overall, the U16 Bayhawks said they had a very positive experience, with particular notable benefit of exposure to American college scouts. Both the coaches and the girls stated they were pleased with their third placed finish against opponents with top-10 rankings in the United States.

The Bayhawks U-17 OYSL team also took bronze at the Disney Showcase.

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Oakville SC U-13 Boys OPDL team victorious at Players Paradise

The Oakville SC U-13 OPDL team participated in the New Years Kick-Off Tournament at Players Paradise in Hamilton over the holiday season.

The squad played four games and emerged undefeated in the U-13/U-14 Boys Division.

They defeated Wexford Dynamite 1-0 in the final after drawing them 0-0 in the group stage. 

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Markham sees dual success south of the border 

The Markham FC 2001 OPDL Girls rolled over the competition at the recent CASL Showcase in Raleigh, North Carolina, winning all three divisional matches to capture the Elite Silver Division. 

The squad opened with a 2-1 victory over Carolina Rapids Academy before steamrolling Loudon SC (Leesburg, VA) 4-0 behind a clean sheet from goalkeeper Caitlyn Adam. In the tournament group clinching match, goals from Jayde Riviere, Maliah De Rosario and Melissa Lamanna led the squad past Cape Coral Soccer Academy (Coral, FL) by a 3-0 count.

The Markham FC U-15 Boys OPDL squad captured the Premiere Black division with two wins and a draw at the CASL Boys Showcase in Raleigh, North Carolina. The team travelled to the tournament with nine players from the 2001 squad and four players from the 2002 group.

Markham FC goalscorers Junewoo Kim, Antony Huang and Luca Delapa paced the team to a 3-1 victory over Space City Football Club (Houston, TX) in a dominating performance to start the tournament on the right foot. In their second match, the squad faced a very sound technical team. The size and strength of the Markham FC boys finally began to wear down the Pinecrest Premier SC (Miami, FL) team with the final count 2-0 in Markham’s favour.

In the finale, Markham needed only a draw to capture the group against Triangle Futbol Club Alliance (Raleigh, NC), Markham FC struggled to find the back of the net and battled to a 0-0 tally at half time. Despite numerous chances, the home squad tallied first. A tactical change by Markham FC for the last ten minutes of the game pushed an additional attacker up high and Carson Guddat found the net to cement the draw.

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North Toronto 2003 Boys come up just short at Disney Junior 

The 2003 North Toronto Nitros OPDL Boys participated in the Disney Junior Soccer Showcase Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

They began with a 1-0 win over the #15 ranked team in USA, Baltimore Celtic. The team followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Florida Rush, the #4 team in Florida. North Toronto won their group with an impressive 3-0 win in their final group stage game against West Pines, the #9 team in Florida. After winning the group the boys earned a semifinal birth in the top tier at the Disney Junior Soccer Showcase.

The 2003 boys came up just short in the semis, losing 3-2 in the final minutes of the game to Florida Elite, the #1 team in Florida and the eventual champions.