This St. Thomas squad handed AEK their only loss of the season on July 17 - in every other match they played this season AEK earned at least a single point.  The question would naturally be could the team in red do it again when it really counted?   With the opening whistle St. Thomas came out with everything they had, moving the ball  aggressively through the midfield into their offensive zone.  It was clear the fate of their challenge to the Division leaders would rest in the effectiveness of their offensive playmaking - the necessary strength, speed and motivation was most definitely in their possession.   AEK responded with a quick transition game, and moved the ball quickly up to their awaiting strikers who pressured St. Thomas defenders with quickness and accurate passing plays.  AEK was coming into this game with a +/- rating of +38, a virtual scoring machine as compared to the other teams in the Division.   The St. Thomas defense held up fairly well through the bulk of the first half, and held AEK to shots beyond the box that regularly missed their mark.  Those that didn't were taken care of by the St. Thomas keeper, Aaron Wiltsie, who put in a fine game and demonstrated a high level of athleticism throughout the match.  The first half ended scoreless however the number of shots taken on net were very much in favour of AEK.   With the opening of the second half it was clear AEK's determination and intensity was now on high.  They applied pressure on the St. Thomas goal right from the get-go, drawing a penalty kick at the 65 minute mark.  AEK's # 11, Haris Cekic made no mistake and placed an accurate shot along the ground into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 1-nil.    With their fan base in the stands behind them, the team in yellow was ready for more.  At this point St. Thomas continued to make valiant efforts in breaking up AEK plays and clearing the ball when they could but at this point in the game their offensive threat was nearly neutralized.    In terms of striker talent and efficiency it was obvious that they were somewhat outmatched.  At 81 minutes it was AEK again on a 3-on-none fast break - with their top striker # 19 Brian Bettencourt finding the mesh with a shot that gave the St. Thomas keeper no chance.  Six minutes later 3 players on the St. Thomas squad were ejected from the game, as the official likely found the level of assertiveness expressed the chosen players in meeting AEK's nearly continuous advances of an unsportsmanlike nature.  Three minutes later the game ended, with AEK taking the cup in a 2-0 game over their rivals from St. Thomas.  JHS