BP Sports - By Bernie Puchalski -
The Saint Michael Mustangs boys soccer team’s 2008 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association championship still resonates with keeper Mario Trapasso.
“I think about it all the time; the memories of my friends and I winning the championship,” said the 28-year-old Sunday, following the team’s induction into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame.
Of all the memories, the championship victory over the host team from Sarnia stands out the most for Trapasso.
“At the end of the last game, everyone ran on to the field and then we received the awards and medals,” he said.
The Mustangs finished the championship game a man down after an ejection and they ended up winning the match on penalty kicks.
On the way to the school’s first-ever OFSAA gold medal, Saint Michael also won the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association final and its OFSAA quarter-final game on penalty kicks.
Trapasso admits being the last line of defence against penalty kicks in an OFSAA gold medal game was a challenging experience for a teenager.
“It was nerve-wracking, for sure, but you have to put the nerves aside and hope for the best.”
It was the team’s heart that made it so special, Trapasso said.
