NC Boys Soccer Showcase Returns as Local High School Stars Shine

Posted: Jun 13, 2022

June 13th, 2022...WELLAND - After a two year hiatus, the Niagara College Knights Annual High School Soccer Showcase returned last week to Youngs Sportsplex in Welland.

The showcase, held annually in June, features the Niagara regions top high school players representing 22 regional schools and was launched in 2014 by long-time assistant coach, Rino Berardi.

Berardi was thrilled to see the showcase get back on it's feet again after being snuffed out by the pandemic the last two seasons,

"A lot of work, by a lot of people, goes into planning this event," said Berardi. "Getting to watch a game as skilled and entertaining as tonight was the reward for the players, parents and soccer fans in attendance."

The format for the Niagara Region High School Soccer showcase sees each local area high school soccer program invited to send their participants of their choosing to the event. Players are split evenly into two rosters, with MVP award winners being selected from each team at the end of the match.

A late goal by Isaac Dewaard (Port Colborne High School) broke a 3-3 stalemate to give Team White a 4-3 victory over Team Blue in the 7^th annual showcase game.

Dewaard was excited about being selected to play and especially how the game ended. " I thought the experience was great. The level of play was very high which made the game fun and lead to a close ending. My teammates put me in a great position to score and it felt pretty cool to put it in the back of the net for the win. I am thankful to Niagara College for giving us all an opportunity to play in this event and to showcase the talent in the region."

Lucas Vetere (St Paul Catholic High School) led Team White with two goals while Josh Salonen (St Michael CHS ) and Dewaard added singles. Scoring for Team Blue were Jackson Purbs (EL Crossley SS), Adian Astudillo (St Jean de Brebeuf) and Daniel Avila (Blessed Trinity CHS).

Vetere was named MVP for Team White while Jonathan Mouck (Eden) was Team Blue's MVP.

Purbs ended a stellar High School career by representing Crossley at this final event. "I thought that the quality of the match was solid. There are a lot of talented players here in the Niagara region that aren't really getting a lot of exposure and so I appreciate Niagara College for putting this whole thing together and providing us with the opportunity. " said Purbs.