It had been a rough season for the Lac La Biche U12 boys Vikings but things turned around for the young soccer team last weekend. The Vikings brought home a bronze medal from the FC Memorial Tournament in Edmonton.
It had been a rough season for the Lac La Biche U12 boys Vikings but things turned around for the young soccer team last weekend. The Vikings brought home a bronze medal from the FC Memorial Tournament in Edmonton.
Coach Tara Finnestad sees this as a big win for the team whose league record so far this season has been disappointing. Finnestad did not act as coach during the tournament but during the rest of the season she can be found behind the bench.
“They’ ve had a rough go this year,” said Finnestad. “It was kind of a rebuilding of the team cause they lost so many players to the upper age groups.”
Finnestad said the team was a little nervous going into the tournament as the competition is immense in the big city. She likened the Vikings as still in training compared to some of the big city teams but things went the way of the hometown heroes anyways.
“They went in worried,” she said. “But they came out very well about it.”
Finnestad credits the boys’ success to having figured out their positioning on the field and determining they needed to play a passing game but added their heart was in it too.
“They totally left their hearts on the field, it really came down to who wanted it the most,” she said. “I think effort and wanting to win was a big thing. It was nice to see them be there.”
Additionally, both the U14 girls Fast and Furious and U16 girls Lightning Queens took home gold medals from the tournament.
Dianna Kryvenchuk coaches both girls teams with her husband Kerry and said they were very impressed with their performances.
“The U14 girls did very well and showed a lot of improvement,” said Kryvenchuk. Similarly to the U14 boys, she said a lot of girls from the year before had moved up to a higher age bracket. “So size was a disadvantage.”
She said the coaching staff was very impressed with the girls passing and shooting and while they had struggled to score earlier in the season, it was not a problem last weekend.
“This time they were able to let loose and they got a bunch of goals.”
The U16 girls faced their own new challenge this year as they were entered in a higher tier than usual. Normally the girls played in tier three but because they have been a strong team in the past, this year they were entered in tier four.
“It was a bit tougher for them but they jumped to the challenge and we’ re really impressed with that,” said Kryvenchuk.
All three teams play again the weekend of Feb. 25 at the Lakeland Cup, their league tournament, followed by another tournament on March 4 in Edmonton.
Thanks to a bye, the U14 girls are guaranteed a spot at provincials in Calgary March 17-19. The U16 girls are also likely to go to provincials the same weekend in Edmonton. Kryvenchuk said this is because the only team they have to beat to make the cut have lost every game to them this season.
About a month after provincials, all three teams will resume their outdoor season.
