Warriors capture WOSSAA AA silver, Red Devils TVRA Southeast title

WCI goalie Brayden Freeman tracks a Warriors head ball during a 1-0 TVRA Southeast championship victory at Woodstock’s Cowan Park. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

It’s a good problem to have.

But if there is one drawback to being a defending Ontario Federation of School Athletics Associations (OFSAA) AA boys soccer champion, it’s the bar is set rather high.

And so, while a Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA) AA silver medal is a laudable accomplishment, it took the Woodstock St. Mary’s Warriors a moment to process an achievement which did not result in the opportunity to defend their 2025 provincial title.

“We knew we were the underdogs for this game,” said coach Vanessa Pye, able to put the day in some form of perspective following a loss to London Westminster Wildcats in the WOSSAA AA final Tuesday, May 26 at Stratford’s Festival Hydro Park’s Cowan field. “I think we showed everyone we are deserving of being here.”

It was a hot, humid day, the Warriors battling their share of knocks, cramps and fatigue Pye added.

“But we just kept fighting… gritty.”

The Warriors entered the WOSSAA AA draw as Thames Valley Regional Athletics (TVRA) Southeast second seed following a 1-0 loss to Woodstock CI Red Devils in the Tier I championship game, Tuesday, May 19 at Woodstock’s Cowan Park. The Red Devils’ Oscar Berkeley scored the game’s lone goal on a second-half penalty kick, with WCI keeper Brayden Freeman keeping the sheet clean for the duration.

On the same day, the Woodstock College Avenue Knights captured the TVRA Southeast Tier II title with a 2-1 win over the homefield Woodstock Huron Park Huskies.

St. Mary’s opened its WOSSAA AA draw in Stratford with a 4-0 shutout win over Stratford St. Mike’s powered offensively by a Kingston McPherson hat trick. That victory set up a finals showdown with Westminster, which qualified for the match with a 3-0 win over the Red Devils.

As suggested by their semi-final success, Westminster was a solid side, quick and talented credited Warriors defender Zehrick Egan.

“It was a tough game to defend.”

“A good offensive team,” agreed midfielder Hunter Van den Akker, strong with the ball at their feet. Despite St. Mary’s best efforts to lock them down, a pair of early second-half goals gave the Wildcats a comfortable bulge.

“But we pushed to the end.”

The Warriors broke through offensively in the game’s final minutes, inspiring faint hope for a miracle comeback. Keeper Dominic Cabral pushed forward to set up the goal on a free kick from half, taking his time to read the Westminster defence.

“They just kept giving me space,” he said, noticing teammate Lisandra Da Costa inside the 18-yard box. “Just flipped it in.”

Reading the long incoming ball, Da Costa determined he’d try and head it onward to a teammate occupying what he considered a better scoring position.

“It just so happened it went into the net.”

Energized, St. Mary’s redoubled its efforts through the game’s final stages, however the referee’s trio of whistles sounded on a result which if not entirely to the Warriors collective liking, certainly represented a full 90-minute effort.

“I think we definitely left it all out there,” said McPherson, citing a slow start to a 2026 season hampered by injuries. “But we came together for WOSSAA and I thought we played great.”

The team photo celebrating WCI’s TVRA Southeast title, taken at WOSSAA, will also reveal a range of emotions. A 4-0 loss to Westminster in their opener, followed by a 3-0 loss to hometown St. Mike’s in the bronze medal game was not what the Red Devils had hoped for.

“It’s tough not to have a bitter taste in your mouth,” admitted coach Jason Poole. “But at the end of the day you have to acknowledge the success of our guys going from A to AA and coming away with a Southeast championship.

“It’s a monumental accomplishment.”

Everything the Red Devils boys soccer program achieved at AA this season was historical for their 100-year-old school, their TVRA championship plaque the first to hang in its walls said Poole.

“So that’s pretty cool,” he concluded.