Athabascaís U16 boys soccer team, the Athabasca Saints, shut out the Morinville U18 mixed team 3-0 last Thursday at Edwin Parr Composite School (EPC). The victory was a confidence booster as the Saints prepare for their final match of the season, which pits them against the Athabasca U18 Blue boys team this week.
The Saints also shut out the Morinville team 1-0 when they last met, on May 16 at EPC.
ìTo be honest, some of teams out there, theyíre just not as competitive,î said head coach Terry Lovelace of his teamís strong season. ìAthabasca has always had a very strong soccer group, and so weíve always done very well in the Tri-County leagues.î
Lovelace was away for last Thursdayís game, but assistant coach Connie Toft was there to keep the team on track. She said she is glad the boys have had a number of shutouts this season
ìWeíve been doing decent,î said U16 player Noah Waudby.
ìWeíve had one loss all year, against the U18 boys,î said Lovelace.
At a recent Camrose tournament, the Saints went undefeated until the gold medal game against the Blue Athabasca U18 boys.
Toft said even though the Saints lost against the Blue, the Saints still pulled off a goal, proving they have the capacity to do some damage to the Blue, who otherwise ìhave pretty much annihilated the rest of the competition this season.î
The Saints will meet the Blue again on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on EPCís south field for their highly anticipated season finale.
ìItíll be a tough game,î Waudby projected of this Thursdayís match.
ìIt is the only team that has beaten them, so that may motivate them to play harder,î said Toft.
She said the coaching staff will encourage the U16 boys to stay healthy in preparation for their final game.
ìWeíll be telling (the players) to be all rested up. Itís also the last day of school, too, so they should be pumped up,î said Toft.
