The Orléans Star

For the third year in a row, a team affiliated with the Cumberland United Soccer Club has been named "Team of the Year" by the Orléans Star.

Playing under the Ottawa TFC banner for the first time since Cumberland United joined forces with the Toronto FC Academy program last spring, the Ottawa TFC U17 girls team won the third Ontario Cup in the past three years for the club and went on to win the Toyota National Championship – a first for a National Capital area team.

The Ottawa TFC team is made up of Chanelle Chaput, Riley Bonadie, Lauren Curran, Flavie Dubé, Emily Smith, Paige Robert, Kylen Grant, Kylie Laframboise, Jessica Boyle, Melina Cane, Véronique Bolduc, Joelle Chackal, Rachel Vermaire, Devon Vermaire, Amelia Thompson and Katelyn Brzozowski. The head coach is Pavel Cancura and the assistants coaches are Duane Bonadie and Patrick Boyle.

But the girls’ unprecedented season was almost over before it barely started. After winning their first two games in the opening round of the Ontario Cup in July, they needed a win or tie against West Ottawa FC to advance to the playoffs.

They ended up battling their west end rivals to a 0-0 draw and advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to a +2 goal differential.

They needed a late goal in the 87th minute to avoid a shootout in the Ontario Cup semi-finals, and the difference in the final against the Vaughan Azzuri was an own goal by the Azzuri in the 82nd minute.

Their path to a National Championship title was a little less dramatic. After winning their first three games by a combined score of 13-0, the held St. John’s SC to a 1-1 and advanced to the final where they held a 2-0 lead through the latter stages of the game before allowing a goal in injury time to make final score 2-1.

The team is made up of 15-, 16- and 17-year-old girls who were put together under the direction of Ottawa TFC general manager and head coach Pavel Cancura. The three 15-year-old girls on the team – Flavie Dubé, Riley Bonadie and Jessica Boyle – were also on the past two Cumberland United teams that were named "Team of the Year" honours in 2017 and 2018 after winning the Ontario Cup.

But the U17 Ottawa TFC side wasn’t the only team that had a banner year in 2019. The Starlight cheer team from the Flyers All-Starz Cheer Gym in Orléans won the gold medal in the Youth Level 2 division at the Canadian Cheer Championships in April and the Gloucester Wolverines U17 Elite basketball team went undefeated in defending their provincial title in Toronto in June.

In high school sports, the St. Peter Knights won their first ever AAA city championship in senior girls soccer last spring and the Béatrice-Desloges Bulldogs won both the senior girls AA basketball championship and the senior boys Tier 1 soccer title his past fall.

Not to be outdone by their peers, the Louis-Riel Rebelles boys and girls soccer teams both won bronze at the OFSAA ‘A’ championships last June.

And last but by no means least, the Orléans Raftsmen midget football team won the Quebec Midget Football League champ-ionship in their first year of operation in 2019.