Two late season wins were enough to get them to the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) semi finals, but the Bert Church Chargers’ bid for a spot in the finals ended there.
The team lost 2-1 to the Cochrane Cobras, May 22.
“We started off flat and they pounced on it with two quick goals,” said Chargers Head Coach Fraser Hunter. “After our goal, we showed a lot of fight, but we never recovered from their early goal. For a team that’s struggled with goals all season, to come back from two down early on in a high pressure situation is tough.”
Jake Ferris scored quickly off the opening faceoff and again a few minutes later after deflecting the ball in off a corner kick to give the Cobras a 2-0 lead. Curtis Contenti closed the gap at the end of the second half, but the Cobras held them off to secure their spot in the RVSA boys soccer finals.
Steven Shevas had a chance to take a 3-0 lead for the Cobras, but his penalty kick was stopped by the Chargers’ Rohan Bagga, which has been the keeper’s strong suit this season.
“I was hoping for the extra goal so we could go into penalty kick,” said Hunter. “(Bagga’s) played great all season. He had two mistakes that led to the two goals, which were unlucky, bad bounces, but he’s a great goalkeeper. He’s the best goalkeeper I’ve seen in the five years I’ve been with the team.”
A Bert Church graduate who played for the Chargers last year, Hunter made the transition to coaching this year and it’s a move he’s enjoyed.
“This season’s been great,” he said. “It was great coaching the guys and it’s been great coming back. The guys have been really good with me, so it’s been really fun.”
After injuries depleted their roster early in the season, the Cobras were closer to being at full strength, which Head Coach Carolyn McLeod said helped the team defeat the Chargers.
“It was nice to have our guys back,” she said. “They played well. It was a pretty physical game, and we expected that because the last game was too. Luckily, nobody got hurt, which is always a worry.”
She was also pleased with Ferris’ two early goals and the breathing room it gave the Cobras.
“All three goals were beautiful,” she said. “(Jake’s) goal was huge. Everyone could breathe a bit and getting two up early was nice. It was scary when they started to close the gap, and towards the end they broke free a few times, so (the team) had to work to keep them at bay.”
The Cobras faced the George McDougall Mustangs in the gold medal final while the chargers met the Chestermere Lakers for the bronze medal.
Both games were held at Monklands Park, May 24. (Results were not available at press time.)
