By Dan Plouffe
It was a 1-1 draw in their last encounter, and as the Ontario Youth Soccer League season progresses, the Ottawa South United and Capital United U17 girls are getting closer and closer in the standings.
Their leading scorers – Sashini Senarath and Arielle Kabangu respectively – are also neck-and-neck at #2 and #3 in league scoring. At 6-3-3 and 5-3-2, OSU and Capital United are safely atop the relegation line, which was objective #1 for OSU.
“We’re doing a lot better than the last time we were in OYSL,” highlights Senarath, who’s headed into Grade 12 at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School. “We have the same players, but altogether we’re just a better team this year. We all knew each other really well. We’re all used to everyone’s style.”
That’s the product of the same core group of players sticking together for five years, even after getting relegated from OYSL in their last appearance in the top provincial league and having to win their way back in.
“I don’t think I’d play soccer if I had a different team,” Senarath adds. “I love my teammates. Everyone’s unique and everyone’s friendly.”
With a 1-3 start, pre-season visions of a division crown became tougher to see for Capital United, but the squad has since reeled off a six-game unbeaten streak to narrow the gap towards OSU, who sit third.
“It’s been up and down,” notes Capital United coach Raz El-Asmar. “But we’re starting to get more consistency now, which we didn’t have at the beginning of the year.”