A free-kick goal in the first half and a resilient defensive effort in the second propelled the Springbank Phoenix boys’ soccer team to victory in the Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) championship game June 6 in Airdrie.
Playing against the unbeaten Bert Church Chargers, the Phoenix’s victory ended a dynasty held by the Airdrie team since 2017. The game also marked the Chargers’ only defeat of the 2019 season.
“Man, it’s such a satisfying win,” said Dillon Cozac, a senior striker or midfielder for the Phoenix. “I think [Bert Church] came in here thinking we were weak, because the first time we played them, we went down 3-0. I think they just underestimated us.
“I will be honest, they did have us in the second half – they were playing better than us, but our defense played great and, overall, it’s super satisfying to be able to take the win.”
Springbank senior midfielder Colin Trofimuk scored the winning goal by drilling home a shot from 25 yards out.
Bert Church poured players forward in the second half to try and equalize. The Chargers won multiple corner kicks and peppered Springbank goalkeeper Cole Madeiros with shot after shot.
“You could see in the last 20 minutes or so, it was pretty much all in our end,” Trofimuk said. “We were talking to each other and saying, ‘we need to close this out and finish the game.’
“We knew they were undefeated, so [beating them] says a lot.”
Despite mainly playing defense, Springbank did have a great chance to double its lead in the second interval. Trofimuk collected the ball in his half and went on a long individual run. Despite rounding the Chargers’ keeper, Trofimuk could only send his shot over the bar.
Trofimuk, who has played for the Phoenix soccer team for four years, said it felt great to end Bert Church’s two-year dynasty in his final year of high school.
“We all knew at the beginning of the season that if we were going to win a banner, it had to be this season,” he said.
“We’re all taking it in right now and it’s a great feeling.”
For Springbank, the championship game concluded a busy week, with four matches in a span of just three days. The Phoenix narrowly overcame the Cochrane Cobras 1-0 June 4 in the RVSA semi-final. The next day, the team played its rescheduled semi-final in the South Central Zones tournament, again against Cochrane.
The Phoenix beat the Cobras 4-1 in that game, and played the final against Brooks the same day.
“Brooks unfortunately beat us, but our guys were gassed,” said head coach Jen Mensah. “It’s been a tough road, but it’s paid off for us.”
Mensah said she was proud of how the players improved throughout the campaign. The team ended the regular season in second place with a 4-1-1 record, but saved its best performances for the playoffs.
“These boys worked so hard this year,” she said. “We just did it one game at a time, and got better throughout the season. We have some great players, and we’ll have some great players next year, too.”
