White helps Saint Andrews to college title
William White and his Saint Andrews College team mates celebrated a second straight Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association (CISAA) Senior Soccer title in Canada earlier this week.The Bermudian midfielder featured prominently in the Soccer Saints’ come-from-behind 6-3 victory against Ridley College Tigers in the CISAA championship match at Yuill Family Field, scoring one goal and assisting in two others.The Tigers opened the scoring in the first minute of the match.But the visitors’ lead lasted only two minutes as the Saints equalised through a Zain Hemani volley.The home team then went ahead minutes later when White laid on a pass to team mate Michael Marcantognini whose low drive found the back of the net.However, the Tigers clawed their way back with two further goals to carry a 3-2 lead into the dressing room at the half.The Saints played with more aggression in the second-half and it ultimately paid off.Matthew Kennedy levelled the scores with a goal from a corner that took a deflection off the bar and ‘keeper. And less than a minute later Mikel Lanzagorta fired his team ahead for good after being put through by White’s defence splitting pass.Adam Moodie put the match beyond the Tigers’ reach after scoring the Saints’ fifth goal before White completed his team’s scoring with a header from a goalmouth scramble to take his season tally to 11 goals in 25 appearances.White cited a hard work ethic as the key to his team’s hard fought triumph.“If we outwork our opponents the result we take care of itself,” he said. “In the first ten minutes the score was 2-2 and we were not ready for what they brought to the table in the first half. It was an uphill climb from there.“Once we settled into the game we began to play attractive, eye catching football the way we have been playing all season. We picked up the intensity and scored four goals in less than 25 minutes.”White also attributed team harmony to his team’s success this term.“All of us are like brothers,” he said. “We do everything together and that is what I think has made us so successful.”White said retaining the CISAA title was a “great feeling”.“Being successful at anything, whether it be sports or not, is a great feeling and to do it again (retain CISAA title) feels that much better,” he added.The 17 year-old footballer is currently in his final year of boarding school at Saint Andrews College and hopes to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Nahki Wells, Jonte Smith and Dale Eve who are all playing professionally in the UK.“I hope to take my football career to the next level; getting inspiration from guys like Nahki Wells, Jonte Smith and Dale Eve,” he said. “I know that anything is possible if I put my mind to it.”