GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team certainly wasn't lacking motivation when it stepped on to its home pitch on an intensely hot fall afternoon. Guelph, ranked No. 5 in the country, was coming off a poor performance midweek against York but today was also a time to be grateful. The Gryphons, playing in the annual Baden Klein Cup fundraiser match, were on the attack all day as they comfortably beat the Waterloo Warriors 2-0 Sunday at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.

Willem Grant and Johnson Amoo had the goals, though Guelph (7-2-1) was unlucky not to have won by a much wider margin.

"We were dangerous most of the match," said coach Keith Mason. "I was disappointed that it was only two. We should have scored more, really.

"We certainly had the chances."
 
The temperature was sweltering hot on the pitch level and there was a question as to whether the game would be played. But both teams agreed to go ahead with the match, with extra water breaks. The Gryphons were on the front foot from the get go and took a 1-0 lead in just the ninth minute. From a corner kick, Youssef Zaghloul found the head of the 6-4 Grant, a third-year player, who rose high and got it past Waterloo goalkeeper Damian Kruschat.

 

Guelph made it 2-0 in the 24^th minute on another set piece. Fifth-year defender Zac Rushe sent a corner into the Waterloo area that Amoo intelligently chested in.

The Gryphons kept moving forward and had three more beautiful chances in the last 20 minutes alone. Manveer Gill sent a great ball across the Waterloo box to Zaghloul, who took the pass well and unleashed a shot from in close, only to have it blocked by a desperate Waterloo defender in the 72nd minute. In the 79^th minute, Atchu Siva received the ball near the right corner of the area after some nice build-up play but he opted for power and sent a shot sailing over the top right corner of the Warriors' net.

Minutes later, Amoo was fed perfectly just outside the six-yard box but his curling attempt was somehow saved by a diving Kruschat. The teams had a water break immediately after, prompting Guelph goalkeeper Simon Norgrove to give his counterpart a pat on the back as the two crossed paths on their way to the benches.

Norgrove, a second-year keeper from Victoria, B.C., made his own heroic save in injury time. Waterloo's Florian Bruckeder got loose on a breakaway but his low attempt was denied from by Norgrove, who dove far to his right to smother the ball.

"The effort was definitely there," said Mason. "It was an extremely hot day. They wanted to bounce back because they were disappointed with how they played during the week (a 1-0 loss to York). The boys did that."

The turnout for the Baden Klein Cup was great. Proceeds from a barbecue and raffled items went to Immunodeficiency Canada. Mason's nephew Baden Klein was diagnosed with Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency disease that causes severe infections, when he was a newborn. Baden is now 14 and a manager with the men's side.

The energetic teenager is an excellent example for kids and families dealing with serious immunodeficiency illnesses.

"It's something we like to support," Mason said of the annual cup match. "Other families are going through the same problems that we went through. It's certainly one of the highlights of the year for me.

"He's the kind of kid that makes everybody smile. He's always got a joke. He loves soccer, knows every player and is a student of the game. It's great to see him do so well because he can help give back to kids who have gone through what he has. He gives everybody hope.

"And long may it last."