The Bonnyville Soccer Association drew the curtain on what has been a successful 2013 soccer season last week, as the town's last team standing, the Bonnyville Crushers U14 girls squad, won provincial gold in Edson July 7.
Following up on the provincial indoor title the team won in March, the Crushers edged past eight other teams at the tournament, solidifying their position as the best U14 team in the province and becoming the first Bonnyville team in recent memory to win the double of indoor and outdoor gold in the same season.
Head coach Dave Cowan said he couldn't be any prouder of his team, after the girls battled through injury and fatigue to record victories in each of the four games they participated in.
“Every single one of the girls on this squad played their part this weekend and contributed to us winning another provincial title,” Cowan said. “They gave everything they had right ‘till the very end. I'm over the moon with what these girls were able to achieve.”
The team played four games over the course of the weekend, defeating a team from Carstairs 6-0 and the host team 2-0 in round robin play before advancing to the knockout stage. From there, the girls triumphed over the Sylvan Lake Blizzard 2-1 before edging out Edson once again in the final by a score of 2-1 to secure provincial gold. Cowan stated the games against Edson were the closest of the tournament.
“The two games we played against Edson were very tight, good, hard games,” Cowan said. “When we played them in round robin play, I noticed a lot of people saying, with the quality of the players on show and intensity of the game, that this should probably be the final. Funnily enough, with the standings and results finishing as they did, it ended up being the final, so (people got their wish).”
Three players earned their place on the provincial team for their performances throughout the tournament – defender Breanna Christensen, forward Harlee Cameron and midfielder Renee Antoniuk – but Cowan, while commending those individuals for their hard work, was keen to focus on the performance and attitude of the whole team.
“There are so many positives to come out of this tournament and the season in general,” Cowan said. “We didn't have an out and out goal-scorer that put the ball in the net for us all the time, so everyone on the team chipped in and scored goals consistently all season. Our defense was incredible, and probably our main strength – which goes hand in hand with the old adage ‘if the opposition doesn't score, you've always got a chance of winning'.”
Cowan's daughters Gabby and Zoe both play for the team and they shared some of their thoughts regarding their recent provincial title.
“It feels pretty good winning another gold medal after the one we won playing indoor in March,” Gabby said. “I'm really happy with how we played over the weekend, we really enjoyed ourselves and ended up winning another gold to top it all off.”
Zoe said she was happy to be involved with a team as successful as this one, stating their hard work had paid off after claiming a second gold medal in the space of six months.
“Like Gabby said, it feels great winning another gold – two in a row is a pretty special achievement,” Zoe said. “We all worked really hard as a team and ended up winning it all, so it's definitely a memorable moment for me and I'm so happy for myself and the rest of the team.”
Cowan was quick to thank the parents and families of the individuals on the team, as they made a large commitment, travelling to the different games and tournaments throughout the season.
“I'd like to go on record thanking the parents for their excellent support this season. I think every single member of our squad had at least one parent in attendance in Edson, so that's fantastic,” Cowan said. “But I've always said this is a real family team – there wouldn't be a team without the commitment and dedication of these parents. They're absolutely fantastic.”
Along with most of the players on the team moving up to the U16 level, Cowan will moving up as well, as he is already preparing himself for the upcoming indoor season, which is set to start up again in October.
“This season is done and dusted now until next year, so the girls can enjoy their summer knowing they've done Bonnyville proud,” Cowan said. “Then we'll get back together again in October for the indoor season. We're moving up to U16 next year, so it will be a bit of a challenge, but we'll have all of last year's indoor champions back, so we're confident in going on and achieving another double again next year.”
