Tournament success often requires excellent performances mixed in with some good fortune.
Okotoks United could have used a little more of the latter as the host team fell out of the medal round at the Tier I U12 Boys Provincial Soccer Championships by coming one goal short in a three-way tiebreaker for playoff positioning.
“I was very disappointed,” said Okotoks United forward Roberto Hurtado. “Because all the hard work we put into win our (third) match I thought we would go on to bronze or maybe the gold game.”
Okotoks put itself behind the eight-ball early in the competition in dropping a 2-0 result to EMFC, a team they had already defeated twice this season, in the provincial curtain raiser at Riverside Park.
“For the first game we felt maybe a little nervous,” said Okotoks defender Sam Griesser. “And we didn’t play that well.”
The squad then flipped the script in its second match in blanking Lethbridge FC by a 3-0 count. Midfielder Charlie Godec tallied a brace with teammate Kurt Hymanyk also finding the back of the net. Goalkeeper Caleb Zarate earned the shutout.
Riding high into match three, United put forth perhaps its best performance of the season in handing Edmonton’s Mansaray Strikers its first loss in nearly two years in a 2-1 thriller.
Edmonton struck early only to see Hurtado level the scoring. Slick winger Liam Eppleston then put the hosts in-front for good, giving the team its priceless victory over a seemingly unbeatable opponent.
“We tried a different formation with a sweeper at the back so they couldn’t get in behind with their quick striker,” said Okotoks centre midfielder Benjamin Odd. “That seemed to be working and then we caught them on the break a couple of times.”
Hurtado, an industrious and physically imposing striker, credited the fan support for spurring the team on.
“What really helped us was the crowd,” he said. “We had a big, big crowd here, they were all cheering for us saying ‘Go United’ at the same time.”
Okotoks would learn of its cruel fate as the odd one out of the medal round picture and quickly picked itself up to close the championships in fine form.
United used late first-half goals from Hymanyk and Hurtado and a late strike from distance off Odd’s strong right foot to dispatch the Red Deer Renegades by a 3-1 margin on Aug. 14.
“We just missed out on third place,” Odd added. “We wanted to make sure to finish the tournament off on a high note.”
Mission accomplished.
The Strikers went on to win the tournament and the Edmonton Warriors took second place.
Winners of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association’s Division 1 league this summer, Okotoks is taking its talents up another level. The club will be moving up an age-group next month to play against its older cohorts in the U13 boys division.
The female U12 tournament, also held in Okotoks, saw Foothills FC edge Calgary West in a shootout for the gold medal on Aug. 14 at Riverside Park.
Elsewhere, Okotoks’ U16 boys put in a strong showing at the Tier III provincial championships in Edmonton on Sunday also finishing fifth. Okotoks hit for four goals in their finale as Kevin Angeles, Hunter Ball, Mark Eadie and Angelo Molinaro found the back of the net in a 4-1 triumph over the MSB Celtics.
Okotoks finished with a record of 2-1-1. Ball led the team with three goals in the tournament.
In Lethbridge, Okotoks United ended on a winning note in finishing seventh at the Tier III U12 Girls Provincial Championship.
Okotoks won its first game of the weekend to close out the tournament in a 5-0 shutout over Medicine Hat on Aug. 14. United received goals from Tian Wiens, Madison McCullough, Billie Bowers and Anna McKeel, who scored twice, in the win.
For more information on Okotoks United go to okotoksunitedsoccer.ca
