The U18 Athabasca boys and girls tournament soccer teams have coasted their way through a pair of tournaments so far this season and are gearing up for the next challenge at the annual Camrose Night Classic June 13–15.
U18 boys coach Terry Lovelace said his team has had a great start to the season, claiming silver in their first tournament and gold in the second.
“We did quite well in both tournaments,” Lovelace said.
The first tournament, in Sherwood Park, saw the boys place second after playing to a tie in the final game and coming up short in their goals-against average. The second tournament, in Edmonton, saw the team plough through the competition, beating Cold Lake 7-0 and both host teams, winning the final game with a 1-0 score.
The boys have been practising with the Athabasca men’s community team, which Lovelace said has helped.
“They are a very skilled soccer team. They helped us get into game focus,” he said.
Looking ahead, Lovelace said the Camrose tournament is usually a challenge.
“Camrose has traditionally been a tournament we lose our focus on. It’s kind of a fun place to go,” he said. “The challenge is to decide whether we’re going there to have fun or we’re going there to compete.”
The boys have also qualified for provincials, which will run the second weekend in July in Vermilion.
The U18 girls have missed the medals in their first two tournaments, but coach Dawn Nelson said the team has been working hard and playing well together.
“They went and they played their hearts out,” Nelson said of the team’s two tournament appearances so far.
The girls missed going for bronze in their second tournament by one point.
Nelson explained the team has been adapting and that four girls have stepped up from the U16 level after one U16 team folded.
“We’re glad that the girls came and joined us and had a chance to continue playing soccer, because they really wanted to,” Nelson said.
The girls team will also be playing in the Camrose tournament and is hoping to move on to provincials.
