Slaney, Noseworthy soccer’s best for June

The leading scorers in the province’s top two soccer leagues have been named the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association’s players of the month for June.

Stefan Slaney of the St. Lawrence Laurentians is the Johnson Insurance Challenge Cup senior men’s selection, while Jessie Noseworthy of Holy Cross Avalon Ford is the choice in the Breen’s Jubilee Trophy women’s league.

Lauren Rowe of the Conception Bay South under-15 girls, and Ronald Collins of the Feildians under-15 boys were the junior division winners in June.

Slaney tops the Challenge Cup circuit with seven goals and will need to continue with that scoring as  St. Lawrence looks to maintain a playoff spot in the five-team league. St. Lawrence (2-6-1) sits in fourth place —  what would be the last post-season berth — but has a chance to solidify its position with two weekend home games at Centennial Field — today and Sunday — against winless Paradise North Atlantic.

There are two other Challenge Cup games on the weekend schedule, both involving league-leading Holy Cross Kirby Group. The defending champion Crusaders (7-1-0) take on second-place Feildians Stavanger Dental (6-1-0) 8 p.m. today at King George V Park in St. John’s and the C.B.S. That Pro Look Strikers (5-3-1) 2 p.m. Sunday at KGV.

Noseworthy had 12 goals in June for the Holy Cross women, the defending Jubilee Trophy champs, who have rolled through the opposition with 10 straight wins, all by shutouts , this season.

The latest Crusaders victory came Thursday at KGV, although the score was closer than in any of their other wins.

Malorie Harris and Holly O’Neill had the goals, while Julie Crocker posted the shutout as Holy Cross  blanked second-place Feildians (5-3-1) .

All three of the Double Blues’ losses have come at the hands of Holy Cross, although Thursday’s result had the lowest goals differential of any of the Crusaders’ victories this season.

Feildians get a chance at a bounce-back 7 p.m. Sunday at the Topsail Sports Complex, where they take on the C.B.S. Calvin Randell Strikers (2-6-0) in the lone game on weekend Jubilee Trophy schedule.

In junior girls’ play, Rowe scored five goals, including both game-winners, in a pair of C.B.S. victories in the provincial girls U15 Tier 1 play. Meanwhile, Collins, a goalkeeper, got the junior boys nod even though his Feildians U15 PYL team didn’t have a win in June. The 14-year-old is relatively new to the game, but his play has been such that he is with the provincial boys U14 team at the Atlantic championship in Corner Brook, where he posted a shutout Thursday as Newfoundland and Labrador blanked Prince Edward Island 3-0 in its opening game.