By Dan Plouffe

It was an unfamiliar feeling for the Ottawa South United Force U14 boys – their first league play loss in ages on the heels of 13-0-1 season against regional opponents last year.

Not that the Force weren’t expecting a greater challenge moving up to OYSL. After all, the team selected its lineup back in November, and had been preparing to make the jump long before that.

The 2-1 loss to Dixie was more a lesson about the need to capitalize on scoring opportunities that don’t come as frequently at the top level.

“We had a good five chances,” laments OSU coach Abe Osman, whose team opened its season with a 3-1 out-of-town victory over North London.

Mitchell Kurylowicz has struck for goals twice this season, but the team’s true strength lies in its ability to build up to those occasions.

“We’re a very good passing team,” Osman highlights. “We move the ball quickly and we have some offensive guys who are very good at going forward.”

Now that the Force have got their feet a bit wet in the OYSL, Osman expects the fruits to come eventually.

“Keep checking up to see how we’re doing this season,” Osman advises. “At the end of the year, I think we’ll end up middle of the pack to top half. I think we stack up pretty good.”

The Capital United U14 boys have experienced a rough start to their first OYSL season, falling to first-place Richmond Hill by a football-like score and getting blanked in their two other contests.