Despite piling on the pressure in the final 15 minutes, Bert Church High School's boys' soccer team fell just short of the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) banner on June 7, falling to the Springbank Phoenix in the division's championship game in Cochrane.
The final score was 2-1 for Springbank, who with the win successfully defend their RVSA crown from 2019 – the last year the high-school soccer league was able to operate, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a really tight game, and I think both teams [played well],” said Sebastién Durand, the head coach of the Bert Church Chargers. “You have to give credit to Springbank. They’re an outstanding team.”
The Phoenix led 1-0 at halftime, and doubled their lead to 2-0 in the second half.
Bert Church brought one back in the 75th minute, which spurred the team forward in hopes of scoring a late equalizer. But Springbank's defence was able to absorb the pressure to see out the result.
Having Bert Church and Springbank in the final was fitting, as the two teams finished first and second during the regular season, with matching 4-1-1 records. The two teams also contested one another in the 2019 RVSA final.
“In the standings we were tied throughout the season, so it was very similar to the first game we played against them that ended up in a tie,” Durand said. “I think the difference this time was honestly, in every game, you get a few breaks. It’s part of the game, and unfortunately, the breaks didn’t come our way. That’s what was reflected in the score at the end.”
The loss to Springbank ends Bert Church's 2022 season, as there was no South Central Zones tournament scheduled this year.
Mustangs finish fourth
At the same time as the championship match between Bert Church and Springbank on June 7, the George McDougall Mustangs battled the Chestermere Lakers at Monklands Park in Airdrie, to see who would win the RVSA's bronze medal.
While the Mustangs took an early lead thanks to a first-minute penalty kick goal from Shadrak Boakye, the Lakers took control of the game to earn a 2-1 advantage in the first 45 minutes.
Chestermere added three more in the second half, and while the Mustangs scored a second through Robert Lasebnik, it ended up only being a consolation as the Lakers won 5-2. Firas Khafi was the hero for Chestermere, scoring a hat-trick in the win, while Ryan Stevenson chipped in with two goals of his own.
Even though they ultimately fell short of securing the RVSA bronze, Mustangs striker Dylan McMahon said the players were proud of their performance, adding George McDougall put forward a much more competitive showing than when they played Chestermere during the regular season and lost 2-0.
“I definitely think we fought harder this time,” he said. “It was good to get a goal right in the first minute of this game, with that penalty. We still ended up losing but I felt we fought a lot harder this time.
“Overall, the boys are pretty disappointed by this loss, but it was still fun. We still made it to the third-place game, so we’re happy about that.”
George McDougall had narrowly missed out on the RVSA final, losing to Bert Church in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals following a goalless draw on June 2.
Though the Mustangs will see many of their soccer players graduate from high school this year, McMahon – a Grade 12 player – said he feels the foundation has been laid for a competitive showing from the team next season.
“A lot of us won’t be here, but for the younger guys, I think they have a bright future,” he said.
As for how Airdrie's other high-school boys' soccer teams fared in playoffs, the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers finished the season in the quarterfinals of the RVSA playoffs, having gone out to George McDougall on May 31.
Meanwhile, the St. Martin de Porres Kodiaks ended their 2022 campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Father Lacombe in the quarterfinals of the Calgary Senior High School Athletics Association Division 3 playoffs, after ending the regular season in third place.
