Edge Soccer Club
U13 Boys - Champions in Vail
10/06/08
By L. Livingston and C. Fee
EDGE Black wins a thriller
The U13 Boys EDGE Black team travelled to beautiful Vail Valley this past weekend to participate in the Vail Challenge Cup. This proved to be a great opportunity to get some additional experience mid-season and provide additional ‘team-time’ amidst the autumn colors of the Colorado mountains.
The U13 age group included teams from Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Durango. On Saturday, EDGE Black took on a strong team in Rush Pikes Peak Swoosh – pulling away in the second half to a 4-1 victory. In the afternoon contest, the team defeated a Durango team 10-1. As a result, the team only needed a tie in their Sunday morning game in order to move on to the Championship game. Facing a physical Real team on a rough field made for some interesting moments; however, they came away with the 0-0 draw needed to move on to the finals – just over an hour later.
In the Championship game, EDGE faced a strong Vail team playing on their home turf. To date, Vail had not lost in the tournament, or in league play. Vail jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a strong shot against the grain from the 18 and a quick shot when the ball found an open forward on the weak side of the play.
Momentum was clearly in Vail’s favor until EDGE placed a short cross high in the back of the net from just outside the penalty box. EDGE was down 1-2 at half, but had managed to gain back the momentum. The second half saw more end-to-end action until EDGE was able to work the ball past Vail’s defense and make a nice cross from the right side to a streaking forward down the middle. The 2-2 tie held until the end of regulation.
During both of the five-minute, golden goal overtimes, neither team was able to find the back of the net as pressure mounted. Both coaches made their final substitutions to insure they had the proper lineups on the field for the penalty-kick (PK) shootout.
Following the coin toss, EDGE sent their first shooter to the PK stripe. He calmly placed the shot in the back of the net. Vail responded. It wasn’t until the third set of shooters that someone missed – Vail hit the crossbar. After the fourth set of players made their shots, EDGE’s fifth shooter could win the game. By now the field was lined with parents, players from other teams, and interested spectators as word spread of the Championship shootout. Amidst the pressure, EDGE’s final shooter placed the ball high in the net for the final goal.
Some powerful memories not soon, or ever, forgotten. Congratulations EDGE Black!
Tag(s): U13 Boys Black Club News & Events
