Sabres edge Titans in South Division soccer shootout
- Chris Abbott
- May 21
- 3 min read
Chris Abbott
Editor
It was always going to be close.
Simcoe Composite School boys soccer team edged Holy Trinity Catholic School in a shootout Thursday afternoon to win the AABHN South Division championship.
The Sabres led 2-1 at half, but the Titans equalized midway through the second. Both teams had opportunities to win in the final minutes of regulation, but it was still locked at 2-2 after another 20 minutes of overtime at the McLaughlin Fields in Delhi.
“They (Holy Trinity) were pushing,” said SCS coach Ron Smith, who gave his team’s Player of the Game recognition to Grade 10 goalie Campbell Shrubsole.
Shrubsole took Simcoe Composite’s first penalty shot – and scored. He did not jump up and ask to be the first shooter, it was assigned by the coaches.
“I said ‘yes’ but… also nervous,” Shrubsole admitted. “It felt better (after scoring), relieved some of the nerves.”
He then stopped Holy Trinity’s first penalty shot, putting the Sabres in the driver’s seat. A second later save helped win the South trophy.
“I look at which way they shoot, whether they are right or left-foot, and look at the angle their foot opens. If they open it up, it’s going to go right-side – my left.”
“He (Shrubsole) has taken some penalty shots in games,” coach Smith noted. “Campbell Shrubsole is probably the most well-liked player on our team. He’s got a lot of respect from the other kids. So I think, in terms of a confidence boost for us, to have our goalie go score a goal and then save the next penalty shot… I think that’s got to be a huge boost for our team.”
Smith said the gameplan for SCS was playing simple, team-based soccer.
“We’re encouraging the boys to play as a team. And that’s what they did today. We have two rules on the team – and we start right on Day 1. We tell the boys there’s no ego and nobody can lose their temper.”
There were some hard collisions Thursday, but both teams stayed in control.
“We’ve got a cross-town rivalry with Holy Trinity, but the great thing is when the whistle went at the end, you see the boys shaking hands. It’s great,” said Smith.
Shrubsole agreed there is a rivalry between the Sabres and Titans, but suggested it’s mostly a football thing.
“I’d say in football, it really is a rivalry,” he smiled. “In other sports, like soccer, it’s not as bad. It is the other Simcoe team, so do you want to beat them.”
Waterford, SCS and HT all finished the 2025 South Division regular season with identical 6-1 records. SCS advanced to Thursday’s South final after defeating Waterford 2-1 in a May 13th semifinal.
It was the Sabres’ third South Division boys soccer title in four years – they won in 2022 and 2023, but lost to Waterford in 2024.
“We had good possession today,” said Holy Trinity coach Vince Suglio after the shootout loss. “Just couldn’t capitalize on our chances. Give SCS full credit though – they have a game plan and they stick to it. They have some good strikers that they send it through to... They are tough to handle and they capitalize on their changes.”
Holy Trinity’s midfield helped carry the second-half play.
“We try to play a little bit more possession soccer - work it up – but we broke down in the final third of the field,” said Suglio. “Again, we had our chances, couldn’t capitalize. Full credit to SCS. When it comes to PKs, anything can happen right? But I am proud of the boys, the boys played really well.”
SCS and HT both advanced to the Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk CWOSSA AA qualifiers against the top two North Division AA teams – McKinnon Park and Paris – to be played May 21 in Delhi at the McLaughlin Fields. Two winners advance to CWOSSA (May 27 & May 29 in Brantford).
“I hope our chances are pretty good (in the CWOSSA qualifier),” said Shrubsole. “I think if we play like we can, it will be a good outcome.”
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