Sparwood wins Gold at U18 Soccer tournament

Pincher Creek's 2014 U18 Soccer team

Toni Lucas

On Saturday June 14 Pincher Creek hosted two simultaneous soccer tournaments for U18 and U14 teams. The U18 tournament was held on Sproule Field between 3 teams: Pincher Creek, Sparwood and Elkford. Three games were played to determine the standings allowing each team the chance to play once against each of the other teams. Sparwood won first place, Elkford took second, and Pincher Creek finished third.


The first game of the day was between Pincher Creek and Sparwood. The weather was soggy and grey, with more than one person eyeing the skies for potential lightning. Neither team let a little water get in the way of their fun. Sparwood has a strong team and at the half they had scored 3 points, while Pincher Creek still had not gotten a goal. Pincher picked up their game in the second half to score two goals, but could not catch up to Sparwood, who also scored two more, making it a 5-2 Sparwood win.

For the second game Pincher faced Elkford. The Elkford team was strong, and the Elkford keeper Bryce Wittforth was determined not to let anything through, making some incredible leaps to try and make it a shutout game. Pincher had to work hard to get their single goal of the game. On the defensive end, Pincher Keeper Liam Giddings was pushed hard and made some good saves, but Elkford scored 5 times.

"We have had some injuries this season," said Pincher Creek U18 Coach Jim Lamb. He said that there was marked improvement in the team from the beginning of the season. He said that there were opportunities on both sides of the pitch and the other teams made the most of their opportunities. After the game the team enjoyed some pizza together to wind down the season.

Game three determined first and second place.  The final score was Sparwood 2 – Elkford 1, earning Sparwood the Gold. "The game was very well played with each team having numerous scoring chances, forcing both keepers to make big saves," according to Referee Tom Holoboff.

*Corrected for accuracy