Premier Youth League Soccer Roundup July 27th
Series One: St. John’s Soccer Club vs. BPSA
The latest series of the Premier Youth League round robin saw St. John’s Soccer Club face off against BPSA at Laurentian Grounds, Centennial Field.
Game 1 Recap:
What began as a tight, competitive match quickly unraveled for the visiting BPSA squad. Despite striking first and showing early promise, a series of defensive lapses allowed the league-leading St. John’s side to seize control. By the final whistle, St. John’s had netted four unanswered goals, cruising to a dominant 4–1 victory over the full 80 minutes.
Game 2 Recap:
Saturday’s rematch saw little improvement in BPSA’s fortunes. Short-handed from the outset, they began with just 10 players due to overlapping sports commitments and were further reduced to 9 by halftime. Nonetheless, BPSA showed impressive grit and arguably put up a more spirited fight than they had with a full lineup the day prior. Still, St. John’s A proved too clinical, matching Friday’s result with another 4–1 win.
The deeper issue continues to plague BPSA: chronic roster shortages. The conflict between sports has become increasingly common on the Burin Peninsula, where soccer has taken a back seat to other emerging favorites like lacrosse and slo-pitch softball. It’s a stark shift from earlier years when soccer was the region’s dominant sport.
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Series Two: Portugal Cove–St. Philip’s vs. BPSA
In the next home series, BPSA hosted a struggling Portugal Cove–St. Philip’s team, who returned to the Premier Youth League this season with a 1–12 record.
Game 1 Recap:
Despite their difficult season, Portugal Cove opened with determination, scoring first and taking a surprising 1–0 lead early in the match. However, BPSA responded quickly with the equalizer, leveling the score and setting up a tense, back-and-forth affair. In the second half, BPSA finally broke through with a decisive goal, sealing a narrow 2–1 win at home.
Game 2 Recap:
Though again limited to a bare 11-man roster with no substitutions, BPSA controlled the tempo from kickoff in Game 2. They tallied three unanswered goals, riding a confident performance despite their shallow bench.
Portugal Cove goalkeeper Ethan Etzel stood out, making several spectacular diving saves to keep the scoreline from ballooning further. Offensively, Portugal Cove nearly broke through on a rare opportunity late in the second half, but the crossbar denied what would have been a highlight-reel goal, catching BPSA’s goalkeeper Oliver Pike too far off his line.
BPSA’s scoring came courtesy of Jaden Rose (2 goals) and Brayden Senior (1 goal), rounding out a solid 3–0 win to complete the weekend sweep.
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