The Foothills Falcons showed midseason form on opening day.
The Foothills Falcons showed midseason form on opening day.
Foothills rode a three-goal first half to a 3-0 shutout over the Strathmore Spartans to earn the dream start in the opening fixture of the Foothills Athletic Council senior boys soccer circuit Monday at Riverside Park.
“We started off a little slow,” said Falcons coach Jeff Seaborn. “But started getting some momentum once we got a couple goals behind us with the confidence and this being the first game and the first real opportunity to be out on the field as a team.”
Central midfielder David Kent-Canalejo tallied, Joe Wright scored on a shot from distance and Kellen Chubak added his third goal with the Falcons to produce the scoreline for the high flying squad in the first-half.
“Once we got them on their heels we started to control the ball,” Seaborn said. “They let us manage the ball and manage the game.
“A couple times they had a breakthrough that challenged our goalie, but he stood up and did a great job.”
Goalkeeper J.D. Douglas earned the clean sheet behind a tidy defensive effort.
“It's a real confidence booster and a great way to start the season and looking forward to a good, strong season,” the coach added. “We've got some great players and they're all enthusiastic and excited.”
About 200 metres away there was nothing to choose between two of the top contenders in the FAC.
The Holy Trinity Academy Knights battled back to secure a 1-1 draw with the high-octane Canmore Crusaders.
Following a scoreless first-half the Knights erased a one-goal deficit after David Bowers was pulled down in the box yielding a penalty shot. Striker Sebastian Nowak made no mistake from the spot, striking the low right corner late in the half.
“It was a lot better than we expected,” said Knights coach Tarik Misho. “We've got about six, seven new guys on the team. We gelled really well and it's probably the best defensive game we've had even compared to last year.”
HTA integrated a number of additions to the squad including a pair of Grade 9 midfielders in Oliver Marsh and Ernesto Montes as well as multi-sport athletes new to the squad in defenders Carter Walker and Cole Fieseler.
The Crusaders and Knights have been the class of the senior soccer circuit over the past half-decade.
The measuring stick contest to kick-off the season should serve both teams well.
“It's three or four years in a row now we've played Canmore to start,” Misho said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the season. Everyone knows they're going to be the main guys to play. The fact we came off this 1-1 means it's up for grabs still.”
Up for grabs this week is cross-town bragging rights in the Okotoks derby.
The Falcons and Knights square off on May 3 at 4:30 p.m. at Riverside Park.
“It's always fun to play the Comp,” Misho said. “We don't know what they look like, what's going to happen and we're going to take it one game at a time.”
For more information go to fac.teampages.com
