Orangeville Bears post D10 girls’ soccer playoff surprise

The fifth-place Orangeville Bears surprised the fourth-place St. James Lions with a 3-1 victory in the District 10 high school girls’ soccer quarter-finals Thursday.

The Bears had finished with a 2-3-2 (W-L-T) record at the end of the regular season while the Lions had finished two points ahead at 3-3-1. Both teams had scored 16 goals in the regular season and allowed 18.

Macie Broom, Ali Simpson and Mackenzie Mills had a goal apiece for Orangeville in the quarter-final match while Hannah Farrell scored for St. James.

The teams had battled to a 1-1 standoff in their season opener April 24.

In the other quarter-final games, the second-place Ross Royals blanked the seventh-place Centre Wellington Falcons 4-0 and the third-place Centennial Spartans defeated the sixth-place Guelph CVI Green Gaels by an identical 4-0 score.

The first-place Bishop Macdonell Celtics had a bye rather than beat up on the eighth-place Lourdes Crusaders.

Tuesday’s semifinals have Ross to host Centennial at 2 p.m. and Orangeville and Bishop Mac to clash at 4 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.

Semifinal winners are to meet in the league title match Friday at 2 p.m. at a site to be determined.

• Guelph Sports Journal