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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012 Laying up Failing to qualify for Olympics won't taint memories for Bekker Ridge grad says he'll `never forget' suiting up for national men's under-23 soccer team 1-1 draw, setting up the semifinal matchup with Group B winner Mexico. Some have since suggested As he reflected on last week's Olympic men's soccer qualifying Canada might have taken the tournament, Kyle Bekker chose to Cubans too lightly, but Bekker said that wasn't the case. focus on the positives. "That's sports in general. That's An up-and-down tournament for Bekker and his Canadian team- the reason we play this game. If the better team would win mates concluded every single time, it Saturday with a 3-1 loss would get boring," said to eventual champion Bekker, who came off the Mexico in the CONCACAF bench against Cuba but under-23 semifinals. started every other game Both finalists in the tourin the tournament. nament -- Mexico and "We knew what we Honduras -- qualified for had to do. There's no way this year's Games in it's the coaches' fault. London, meaning Canada They put a team out fell one win short of its there that they were were first Olympic appearance Kyle Bekker confident in and we were since 1984. "We didn't really do what was confident in. We just didn't come asked of us," said the 21-year-old away with it." And that won't taint the memoBekker, an Iroquois Ridge grad currently in his junior season at Boston ries of the tournament for Bekker, College. "But at the same time, we who was named to the U23 national weren't even necessarily supposed team a few weeks before the tournament began. to get to the semifi"It was amazing, nals. We did some- "We didn't really do something I'll thing there." what was asked of us. never forget," he Not many soccer But at the same time, said. "I just wanted pundits did give to take in as much Canada a shot at we weren't even of it as I could and qualifying before the necessarily supposed to treat it as a learntournament began. get to the semifinals.." ing experience. It But hopes began to asked a lot from rise after Canada Canadian men's under-23 me, but I always surprised the heavi- soccer player Kyle Bekker knew I'd be up to ly-favoured United the challenge." States 2-0 in pool Bekker said he plans on finishing play, giving the Canadians the inside track at a first-place finish in Group his communication studies at Boston A and an easier semifinal matchup. College next year, then pursuing a However, Canada followed up its professional soccer career. The win over the U.S. with a disappoint- Oakville Soccer Club product has 15 ing showing in its following game. goals in 59 career games at Boston Facing a Cuban squad that lost College and ranks eighth alltime in handily to both the U.S. and El school history with 17 assists. Salvador in its first two tournament -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed contests, Canada allowed a goal in on Twitter at @Beaversports injury time and had to settle for a By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG CATHOLIC PLAYOFFS: St. Andrew Avengers player Iggy Bradzekis (with ball) goes in for a layup during last week's Halton Catholic District School Board elementary boys' basketball bronze-medal game in Burlington. Bradzekis poured in a game-high 29 points but the Avengers were denied the bronze medal with a 46-32 to Milton's St. Anthony. St. Andrew was the lone Oakville school to advance to the final four of the Halton Catholic playoffs. Local blueliner plays first NHL game NHLER: Oakville's Cody Goloubef played his first NHL game last weekend for the Columbus Blue Jackets. PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Former Oakville Trafalgar High School student Cody Goloubef made his National Hockey League debut Saturday with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old defenceman logged six minutes of ice time against the St. Louis Blues, finishing the contest wtih a plus-1 rating. Goloubef, who was recalled from the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons earlier in the day Saturday, was re-assigned to the Falcons Monday. A second-round pick (37th overall) of the Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Goloubef is currently in his second professional season in Springfield. He has 11 assists and 39 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Falcons this season. Goloubef, a former member of the Oakville Blades, played NCAA hockey for Wisconsin from 2007-10 and also helped Canada win gold at the 2009 World Junior Championships.