U16 Soccer: Elkford defeats Pincher Creek

Toni Lucas

Pincher Creek and Elkford U16 soccer teams met on the Matthew Halton School field on the evening of May 15. This was the first game of the season for both teams. It was a cool overcast day with more than a hint of drizzle. Fortunately, that did not seem to dampen anyone's enthusiasm for the game.

Elkford got into the swing of the game quickly. They were playing their patterns and covering the field well. Pincher Creek took longer to get into the competitive mode, and it was 5 - 1 Elkford at the half.

Pincher picked up their game in the second half. They tightened up their defense and were playing with more focus. One highlight of the game for Pincher was when Levi did a flip over an opponent to push toward the net to score. That showed spirit and ingenuity under pressure, and was the move that had everyone talking.

Marcel Levecque defended the Pincher goal and David Gold was in net for Elkford.

Elkford kept the pressure on throughout the game, ultimately winning it 8-3.

Pincher Creek Coach Kelly Lepine had the kids clean up the equipment before diving into a giant pizza-sized cookie at the end of the game. Her focus has never been on the score, but the kids and the game. "They still had a lot of jitters, but they did fine," she said. A lot of her team from last year graduated up to U18 this season. "There is only six from the same team last year."

Elkford Coach Mark Spittael has been with the team "Since they were U8's, the same group," he said laughing. "I think it went really well. We have a couple new team members, We have an exchange student, Victor, and we have a new player that moved to Elkford, his name is Blaine. They are fitting in really good, and they like soccer." Spittael is happy with how his team played, and is looking forward to the fine tuning that more time on the field will give them.