THUNDER BAY — The St. Ignatius Falcons delivered a dominant performance to capture the Superior Secondary Schools Athletic Association (SSSAA) Varsity Boys Soccer Championship, shutting out the St. Patrick Fighting Saints 6-0 at Fort William Stadium.
This marks the sixth straight SSSAA title for the Falcons, continuing a championship streak that began in 2018, excluding the two seasons lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Ignatius set the tone early with a goal from Andrew Keesic (#15), sparking a wave of momentum the Falcons never relinquished.
“Andrew scored the first goal. He's been scoring a lot this year, so it was good for him. He’s getting back into it,” Midfielder and team captain Prestyn Popovic (#10) said.
“I think it was 6-0 at the end. I kind of lost track — but this isn't the biggest game for us. We want to go to OFSAA and do well there. I know we came 4th last year, so we're hoping to do better this year, hopefully win.”
Daniel Voca (#18) followed with a clinical hat trick, scoring the second, third, and fourth goals. His second came off a well-placed assist from Alex Lossa (#9).
“It's more of a team thing,” said Voca after the game. “I mean, (Lossa) played me a nice ball and I got the shot off, so it’s a team effort.”
The second half saw a noticeable shift in pace and intensity. The game became faster and more physical, with both teams pushing hard. Despite the rougher play, St. Ignatius remained composed and continued to control the match.
Liam Giardetti (#14) added the fifth goal, and Keesic returned to cap off the night with his second, sealing the Falcons’ sixth and final goal.
Unfortunately, the game was brought to an early conclusion due to an injury, but by then, the Falcons had already secured a commanding lead.
With the SSSAA title secured, the victory officially sends St. Ignatius to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) provincial championships, where they will represent the region against the top teams from across Ontario.
“Coming into the year we knew we should have almost an easy path to OFSAA,” said Popovic. “But I’m glad that we executed and kept going. We did exactly what we wanted and now we're going down there to hopefully do what we want, and win.”
Voca echoed the team's determined mindset:
“We feel confident, but we can't let that hold us back and think that we're above everyone else. We've got to go into OFSAA feeling like we have a lot more to fight for, and a lot more to win for.”
