Eight Athabasca teams from U12 to U18 were all over Camrose June 3-5, with each one looking to score some gold within their respective divisions during the Under the Lights soccer tournament.
However, only two of the eight teams were left standing on the podium, with both the U18 Athabasca Black Widows and the U12 Rebels girls soccer teams finishing in second place.
The U12 Rebels were able to continue their dominant ways during the round robin portion of the tournament. After playing three games the team was ranked first overall, with a goal differential of 14.
“We handled our pool fairly well,” said Rebels head coach Mark Francis. “We were more challenged (in Camrose) than we have been in our league, and we still managed to control the play.”
The Rebels were in the gold-medal match against St. Paul FC, which Francis expected to be a very tight game, due to St. Paul’s similar goal differential of 11.
Francis said the rebels had far more shots on net and controlled most of the play, but the St. Paul team still managed to have a 2-1 lead close to the end of the game.
“They had about five or six quality shots on net and we let in two,” he said. “If you were watching the game and didn’t know the score, you would probably assume that we were ahead because we carried the play.”
The Rebels made one last effort in the final seconds of the game, as they attempted to tap the ball in from a corner kick, but missed the net by about six inches. This resulted in St. Paul taking home the golden hardware.
“It was a very good game,” Francis said. “I’m not disappointed in the way we played at all. We just didn’t bury our chances and they buried theirs. That’s what it comes down to when two very good teams play each other.”
Francis added that in the past, this tournament often foreshadows the results of the upcoming provincial tournament, which is being held in St. Paul this year.
“I’m hoping this holds true and that we get a chance to play for gold,” he said. “But I hope maybe the score gets reversed next time.”
After winning gold in their Sherwood Park Tournament on May 29, the Black Widows were looking to add another gold medal to their trophy cases.
The team had an excellent start to their tournament with two wins and a tie, leaving them undefeated and placing them first overall in their pool and second in the tournament standings.
The only team left in their way was the number one ranked Millwoods Selects, who had yet to be scored on the entire tournament.
When they met on the field, the Selects didn’t waste anytime getting on the scoreboard. After what head coach Terry Lovelace called a “slow start” by the tired and bruised Black Widows, the Selects were already up 1-0 within the opening minutes of the game.
“We had a slow start and they scored very early,” said Lovelace in an email. “After that our team raised their compete level and we exchanged chances.”
The Black Widows battled back hard in an attempt to tie up the game, but couldn’t capitalize on their scoring chances with a few wide shots and some big saves by the Selects goaltender.
After two hard fought halves, the Black Widows fell to the Selects 1-0.
Lovelace noted that despite the gold medal loss, he was impressed with the way his team performed.
“Our goalie played fantastic, our defense played great, but we just couldn’t find the twine,” he said. “It was just one of those games.”
He added that tournaments such as these are great tools to bring his team to tip-top shape, for when they compete in provincials.
“We need to continue to advance our game by learning what other (teams) are doing and use that to our advantage,” Lovelace said. “That’s how we’ll get better.”
