Brampton Soccer’s Premier Trophy: BAS Cup…the story so far

As we head into the semis of Brampton Soccer’s premier trophy, in one of of the most hotly contested BAS Cups in recent memory, we thought it would prudent to review the action to date and set up the weekend matches.

If we know one thing for sure it’s that predictions seldom pan out, like Brazil winning the World Cup every 4 years (we know you had them in your pool). And our pick to win the whole thing this year never even got out of the first round. Heepy FC were a solid choice, conceding fewer goals than any other team this season. But the wheels fell off in the Round of 16 where Ebony SC pumped in 4 goals against a team who had only given up 12 all season. It didn’t help that Heepy’s best strikers weren’t playing and perhaps they were unlucky to draw Ebony – a team with plenty to prove – in the first round.

Another sad disappointment and early exit combatants were Santa Clara when their perfect season came crashing down in the first round at the hands of Div M mid-table finishers GBC FC. We wrote in our pre-Cup piece that GBC’s greatest strength would be their Cup experience and it showed. Perhaps Santa Clara’s inexperience permitted them to think they could take GBC lightly as they played undermanned for 90 minutes and left plenty to be desired. Another top ranked team to disappoint was 905 FC. Riding high from a Div A playoff championship, you’d be forgiven if you expected – as we did – that a semi final berth was the minimum for this ambitious squad. They started well enough, cruising to victory in the Round of 16. But perhaps Brampton’s only FIFA-standard pitch was their undoing as many teams not familiar with the larger pitch struggle and are more readily exposed as 905 were bested in the quarters by Black Lions FC at Dixie Sandalwood Stadium.

Only 3 teams carried the hopes of non-Div A entries into the quarter finals. The only Div B team to get that far were Jinky’s Nighthawks who managed to dispatch Paragon SC in the opening round and then best GBC FC via a golden goal in the midweek play-in match. However, Jinky’s magic came to end in the quarters against juggernauts G-Torino FC who have now outscored their opponents 25 – nil in two matches. Notice served. Carrying the banner for Div M were Mega City FC and Dashmesh FC, but both crashed out in the quarters at the hands of holders VSFC and Black Lions, respectively. We’ll have to wait another year to see if any Div M side can ever get further than the semis – a feat yet to be accomplished in our 25 year history.

And then there were 4.

In our pre-Cup preview, we wrote “don’t sleep on Ebony”. And we meant it. These overwhelming underdogs (10:1 going into the Cup) have looked anything but in their opening round matches. This is a side that had not won a single match on the field heading into August and are now undefeated since then. If you believe momentum plays a part in tournaments, then you now have to like Ebony’s chances. Standing in their way will be the team who have shown that it just may be their year. As Div A league Champs, G-Torino FC are the top team in BAS if “on-paper” means anything. They have absolutely obliterated the competition thus far in the Cup, but these easy victories have been a direct consequence of the Div A Champs having an easier path via a draw that favours the top teams. Two factors hang heavy over their heads. First, the suspension of their premier keeper who will only be eligible to play should G-Torino advance to the finals will certainly make the task ahead more complicated. Second, their record of playing undisciplined and inconsistently in big matches continues to be a concern. Perhaps this is the year that G-Torino vanquishes those demons. One thing for certain is don’t expect any double-digit victories as the teams were separated by a single goal in their sole match-up during the regular season campaign.

Black Lions FC are perhaps another team no one expected to see this far into the competition. But we wrote previously that this squad has a deep 32-man roster, overwhelming fan support, and the desire to prove they are much better than their 5th place regular season finish. They have cast aside two formidable opponents in the Cup thus far, defeating Div B playoff finalists Digsy FC and ending the perfect season of Div M’s Dashmesh FC last weekend. Of course, triumphing over Div B and Div M favourites is one thing, but proving you can compete against current and five-time BAS Cup Champions VSFC is another matter altogether. VSFC has overwhelmed no opponents in their 15 matches this season, to date, preferring to let their excellent defence do most of the talking. Expect another close contest as in the 2 regular season meetings between these teams, the scores were 0-0 and 2-1 for VSFC.

We hope to see you out and enjoying some great soccer Brampton Soccer’s Premier trophy competition this Sunday and with the early starts (noon and 2pm), you’ll be home before the turkey is even out of the oven.