The Woodbridge Strikers West under-16 boys soccer team took their game to the next level during their trip to England.
Not only did they experience the sights and cultures of a new country and make new friends, they made their presence felt on the pitch at the Destination Wembley International Tournament.
The squad battled all the way to the championship final of their age group and took the game to penalty kicks before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Roma on penalty kicks.
To reach the final, the Strikers defeated China 1-0 and Roma 1-0 before losing 2-1 to Scotland. The Strikers, however, rebounded from that setback to edge FC England 1-0 and battle England United to a 1-1 tie.
William Mera won the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in the tournament.
“It truly was an experience of a lifetime,” Strikers manager Regina Da Silva said, of the club’s overseas visit. “We made friends from all over the world. No one was expecting us to come so far and Umbro (tournament sponsor) was proud as to how the players, coaching staff and parents represented themselves and how they represented Canada, Woodbridge and our club.”
Coached by Anibal Da Silva, Joseph Rando and Renato Scalise, other team members that contributed to the club’s run to the final included: David Di Dodo, Cameron Brooks, Santiago Rodriguez, Jesse Andoh, Andre Da Silva, Joseph Garcea, Rosario Puccia, Daniel Alonzi, Daniel Braga, Gaetano Tropea, Daniel Mendez, Domenic-John Mercuri, Dylan Nolivos, Nicholas Chiarot and Andrew Walton.