Eagles, Knights fight for "Fair Play"
As of the end of the regular season the Christian Learning and Cambridge soccer teams were locked in a fight to the death to win the League's "Fair Play" award, given each year to the school whose teams received the fewest penalties.
The victor will be decided based on who gets the fewest penalty cards during the playoffs.
But perhaps the big story is that the regular season penalty statistics show a marked decline in penalties overall this year, compared to last.
Last year 81 yellow cards were issued during the 24-game regular season, and six red cards. This year a total of only 33 yellow cards have been issued, and no red cards whatsoever, according to statistics compiled by Alejandra Salto, League secretary and Eagle athletic director.
And there is no indication the the League has become less offensively minded. The eight varsity teams scored 116 goals during the regular season this year, compared with 101 in the like period of 2007. They just seem to be playing "cleaner."
In fact, the Fair Play is still up for grabs, with all four teams having at least a hypothetical chance of winning it.
Cambridge and Christain Learning players have been shown a total of eight yellow cards each. Cooperative's teams, varsity and junior varsity, have received 10. International trails with 15, seven off the pace.
As always, the boys teams have been more penalized than the girls, who still help each other up. No girls team has more than two yellow cards. Three boys varsity teams have six yellow cards each. The Cambridge boys varsity has four.
Cambridge was by far the least penalized school last year and won the Fair Play Award hands down.
