ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
With a goalie in the net in front of him and a soccer ball at his feet, Derrick Kotchea just kept hoping that he wouldn't miss.
Members of the U16 Fort Liard team celebrate winning their division at the Connie Loutit Memorial Soccer Tournament in Fort Simpson. The team members include Devan Horassi, back row, left, coach Ollie Williams, Brent Kotchea, Joseph Antoine, Ross Duntra and Derrick Kotchea, James Duntra, front row, left, and Angel Kotchea. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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"I was nervous and my heart was pumping," he said.
Kotchea was the fifth Fort Liard player to try to break a 6-6 tie with Behchoko in a shootout that would decide the top team in the U16 boys division finals at the Connie Loutit Memorial Soccer Tournament.
Before Kotchea stepped up to the ball, Ross Duntra and James Duntra had both scored goals for Fort Liard, and Behchoko players had answered with two goals of their own.
Seeing the crowd watching in front of him and knowing his team was at his back, Kotchea, 13, kicked the ball and then looked on with everyone else as beat the goalie. Kotchea said it took him a moment to realize what had just happened before he could start celebrating. He considers the goal that won his team the banner in the division the greatest moment of his soccer career.
Twenty-two teams from three communities competed in the annual tournament from April 5 to 7.
The success of the Fort Liard teams was one of the highlights of the tournament. Both the U16 boys team and the U14 girls team won their divisions, while the U12 mixed team came in second.
Athletes dedicated
Ollie Williams, who coached the three Fort Liard teams, said their performance was a direct result of the athletes' dedication.
"The kids in Fort Liard love the sport," he said.
Each team trained for about seven hours per week to prepare for the tournament.
The U12 team went undefeated in the round robin with scores of 11-5, 7-1 and 8-1 and beat Bompas C in the semi-finals.
In what Williams described as a "crushing blow," the team lost 2-1 against The Hotshots, also known as Bompas A, in the final. Williams credited Fort Simpson's goalie, Ariah Thomas, for the win.
"Ariah had one of the most phenomenal games of soccer she could," he said.
Three members of the disappointed Fort Liard team then had to immediately pick themselves back up and play in the U14 girls' final.
Despite only having six players the Fort Liard athletes managed to come back from two goals behind against the larger Thomas Simpson School team to win the game 4-3.
"It's a chance for them to learn life lessons that they'll never forget," Williams said about the tournament.
If the athletes can pick themselves up after a defeat and go on to win their next game, they can do that again in any aspect of their life, he said.
Precious Hope, 12, is one of the Fort Liard athletes who played on both the U12 and U14 teams. Hope said she was surprised by the outcome of the U14 game.
"We never won a first place before," she said.
Hope, who played forward, defence and goalie as needed, said she still thinks the U12 team did well despite losing in the final.
Fort Simpson teams also won banners in three divisions including U12 mixed, U19 men and open men. Leanne Jose, who coached the U12 winning team The Hotshots, said she was very proud of the team.
"They did very well," she said. "They got better with every game."
All of the athletes were open to coaching suggestions and improved their positioning.
"I think they built up more confidence," said Jose.
The tournament is as much about promoting physical activity, allowing participants to have fun and socialize with new and old friends as it is about soccer, said Shane Thompson, one of the tournament organizers.
"It's been good soccer the whole weekend," he said.
Thompson noted that many of the teams were closely matched, particularly in the open men's division where Shocky Simpson, Behchoko and Thunderstruck were all tied with eight points coming out of the round robin. Goals for and against had to be used to determine rankings leading into that division's playoff round.
