An Ottawa high school soccer team won their first two games at the Ontario high school championships in Hamilton Thursday after a court ruling reversed a decision that would have banned them from the tournament.
The Louis Riel senior girls' soccer team won the court injunction in Ottawa on Wednesday when a judge overturned a league decision that disqualified them from the championships because of an administrative error that left one girl's name off the roster.
According to the league's governing body, the error meant the team broke the rules. As a result, their entire winning season was erased and they were benched from the championships.
The team appealed the ruling, but the league upheld the decision, prompting the girls to seek a court injunction.
An Ontario judge sided with the girls Wednesday, giving them permission to compete at the high school championships.
The ruling means a team from Colonel By Secondary School will no longer represent Ottawa at the tournament.
The situation has caught the attention of the soccer community. Dominic Oliveri, who coaches the Ottawa Fury, says he feels bad for both teams.
"I think there's kind of losers on both sides," he told CTV Ottawa on Thursday.
He says he believes the error was an honest mistake, and acknowledges it's something that could happen again.
Louis Riel won their first game Thursday morning with a score of 5-3. They downed their opponents in their second match 4-1.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
