The Springbank Soccer Club’s (SSC) U13 Tier 1 boys’ team capped off its 2018-19 indoor season with a fifth-place showing at the Tier 1 provincial championships, held March 8 to 10 in Edmonton. SSC coach Chris Lopez said the provincial tournament went well for the 2006-born team, considering it had played futsal throughout the winter rather than the seven-vs.-seven format featured at provincials. “[Futsal] is a different form of the game,” he said. “But [seven-vs.-seven] is a good transition towards the outdoor season, where we’ll play 11-vs.-11 on a larger field.” Springbank started its tournament schedule with a late-evening match March 8, showing its attacking prowess to win 6-1 against the Edmonton Drillers. But an early-morning game the next day meant the players had little time to rest before hitting the pitch for the second fixture, according to Lopez. Springbank lost that game 1-0 to the Edmonton Warriors. “We conceded one goal – a free kick – and that ended up putting us in the [consolation rounds],” he said. Due to the defeat, SSC did not qualify for the semi-finals. The team’s time in Edmonton concluded March 10 with a 7-1 victory over Lethbridge Football Club that earned it fifth place. Springbank’s sole girl on the U13 Tier 1 boys’ team – Maria Georgacacos – was one of the difference-makers in the match, netting two goals. According to Lopez, playing in the consolation game meant Springbank’s coaches were able to field some players who don’t typically start, as well as the squad’s four 2007-born players, including Georgacacos. “Once we knew we were going to be playing for fifth, a lot of the pressure was relieved,” he said. The younger players took advantage of the opportunity, scoring four of the team’s goals in the 7-1 romp. “They had a chance to show their skills, and that was good, too,” Lopez said. Another reason for resting the starters, Lopez added, was because seven of SSC’s players were also set to feature for a South Alberta selects team later that afternoon. The team was playing in an exhibition game in Edmonton against a North Alberta team, according to Lopez, in preparation for an upcoming combine hosted by the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency Program. With 13 goals scored and only three conceded, SSC boasted one of the better goal-differentials of the entire tournament. “We could’ve gone further, but that’s the way these tournaments can go,” Lopez said. “Overall, it was a great way for the kids to finish the season.” SSC came into provincials as Calgary’s third seed in the city’s Tier 1 league, with an 8-2 record. According to Lopez, Springbank missed out on winning the league title by just two points. “If [the team] hadn’t tied one of its games, it would have come first,” he said. “That was the difference between first and third.” With the indoor season wrapped up, Lopez said it will soon be time for the players to start training for the 2019 outdoor season, which kicks off in May. Considering four of the players on the U13 Tier 1 boys’ team were born in 2007, Lopez said, the team’s future for the age group bodes well.
