The Athabasca U12 Rebels achieved the goal they were aiming for at the beginning of the 2016 season by clinching the Tier 4 Rural Provincial soccer title in on July 10.
“We entered this season with a goal in mind – which is to make it to a gold-medal game, and we kept that in our minds and we kept pushing to be the best team in Alberta and today we’re the best Tier 4 team in rural Alberta,” said head coach Mark Francis.
“These girls – all season – played like champions,” he added. “Today, they got rewarded for what they’ve been working towards all season.”
The squad played perfect soccer through the championship, allowing zero goals during their entire provincial weekend.
“Not only did we win games, we won games playing perfect soccer,” Francis said.
“The coaching staff would write down the game plan, and in every one of our games we checked off every single box for what our goal was (for that game).”
After defeating Stettler 2-0, Olds 3-0 and Lac La Biche 3-0, the girls advanced to the gold-medal round against St. Paul – the only team to have taken them down, during the Camrose Under the Lights Tournament.
“(We knew) this was a very good team that has one incredible player, so we knew what her game plan was – which was to get her running with the ball,” Francis said. “Our defence or mid-fielders knew where the pressure was supposed to be, and we kept them to the outside.”
Francis said his team started off the gold-medal game “quick and hard,” taking control of the play right after the opening kickoff. After the first 12 minutes of the half, the team was up 2-0, netting goals from Ashlee Prymak and Erin Gabourie.
“We had the team back on their heels and when we scored,” he said. “It kind of deflated them a little bit.
“I think that kind of sealed it,” he added. “Suddenly, they knew they were chasing a team that they’ve been watching on the score sheets, that doesn’t give up a lot of goals.”
Francis said that during the second half, the Rebels were primarily focused on their defensive game, keeping the ball in the St. Paul zone to limit their chances.
He said that nearing the end of the game, goalkeeper Isabella Hayward had to make three big saves to keep St. Paul off the score sheet.
“(Hayward) came out huge with three TSN turning point saves to preserve the (2-0) lead. When they were really pressing, our goaltender came up huge.”
Francis also noted the metaphorical weight of the gold medal.
“It’s not everyday that you can say, ‘You’re a provincial champion,’” he said. “That’s something these kids will have forever. Many of use who’ve played sports for a lot of years have never been able to call ourselves that.”
