By Brady Lang

Battlefords United FC hosts successful provincials

Jul 3, 2018 | 12:00 PM

It wasn’t what the Battlefords teams hopeed for, but it was a strong showing at provincials for the under 17 and under 19 teams this weekend.

The under 17 team members made it to the semi-finals in their provincial tournament, and were on the brink moving out of the round robin. They had to either tie or beat the Prince Albert Celtics to advance into the playoff stage on Monday. The team pulled out a 3-3 draw over their rivals, and head coach Kat Huxley said it was an incredible game.

“We played phenomenally,” she said. “Everyone’s attitudes were awesome; everyone was moving without the ball and playing so well. P.A. and North Battleford always have phenomenal games; a lot of these boys have played on different teams together, like NAIG. It’s always a battle.”

On Sunday morning, the team lost to FCR Development from Regina. The Regina team eventually lost in the final against the Aurora Celtics. Siem Kifilesus from FCR Regina was named the tournament MVP.

For the under 19 players, it was a two game match on aggregate to determine the winner, with Battlefords taking on Yorkton United FC.

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After a tough start in game one losing 5-2, the second game on Sunday morning would be crucial in coming back. The team needed to win by four, but dropped the game by a score of 2-1.

“It was like the ball could not go into the net. They lost 2-1, but had a million chances and they couldn’t put the ball in the net. They played very hard and very well on Sunday morning,” Huxley said.

Derek Campbell of Yorkton United FC took home the MVP in the tournament.

Moving forward into next season, the two teams will be coming back stronger. Huxley said she hopes that will happen as not many players will age out. They hope to come back stronger and she hopes to also be able to field an under 15 team in the 2019 season.

As for how provincials went as a whole, Huxley said she was extremely pleased with what she saw on and off the field.

“It was great; the weather was pretty good all weekend,” Huxley said. “We didn’t get pushed off by the rain until it started thundering. We received a lot of compliments, fans were happy with our field, and the environment. I was very pleased with how provincials went.”

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB