Deh Cho shows well in tourney
Fort Liard and Fort Simpson players come home from Grande Prairie, Alta., with medals
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, May 7, 2015
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA
Deh Cho students are back from a successful showing in Ernie's Rock-Around-The-Clock soccer tournament in Grande Prairie, Alta., last weekend.
Fort Simpson twins Patrick and Lucas Tate showed their skills in a Grande Prairie, Alta., soccer tournament last weekend. Their Bompas Elementary School under-12 team won bronze in its class. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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Fort Liard and Fort Simpson combined forces for its high school teams. The U-16 mixed team won bronze, while the U-14 boys won gold and the U-14 girls took home silver in their respective categories.
"We got a bronze medal but we were very close to playing for gold," said Lucas Tate, who was on Bompas Elementary School's U-12 team with twin brother Patrick.
"That game, (the other team) won by just one goal, 7-6, and we could have probably tied it up."
The clock never stops in soccer, though, and Tate said a lot of time was wasted when their opponents had to change goalkeepers.
Patrick said the Dawson Creek, B.C., team put up the hardest fight.
"Getting to be part of the event itself was really
fun," he said.
"There were a lot of good opportunities. We got to see a lot of things we wouldn't normally experience."
Both twins play forward and think their running skills separate them from the crowd.
"I'm best at running and staying with the ball," explained Lucas. "I do sometimes get to score or make an assist, but I'm usually trying to get the ball into the attacking zone."
He enjoyed the overall experience, too.
"It was a good experience because we don't have a lot of time in big cities," said Lucas.
"We definitely got to have more experience with soccer, learn more strategy and how to get better. It was good exercise, so that was good for our health."
Fort Liard's Roslyn Gardner Firth, who joined students as a chaperone, said it was an exciting and fun tournament.
"The U-16 mixed team played a game that was tied and went into overtime and then went into a shootout," she recalled.
"That was a very long and exciting game. They were playing Behchoko and Behchoko won the shootout, so Behchoko got second and the Fort Simpson/Fort Liard team got third."
Fort Liard gave MVP awards to players Tyrus Bertrand and Abby and Ross Duntra.
