Turnabout was fair play in the Foothills Athletic Council finals.
For the second year in a row, the all-Okotoks senior boys soccer championship match was decided on penalty kicks with the Holy Trinity Academy Knights avenging last year’s loss in a 2-1 victory at Falcons Field on June 4.
“It’s a really good mix, half the boys are Grade 10, the younger boys were excited coming in and really wanting to keep the legacy of the teams over the last three or four years of winning,” said HTA coach Paul Deadman.
“They just played right to the end and have a great mentality of playing to the last minute, they had a great spirit about them. Most of them play other sports as well, hockey, basketball, baseball or running, and they’re all just really good athletes and all have that winning mentality.”
In the final, Salomon Montes opened the scoring on a header for the Knights with Foothills tying it up on a brilliant strike from distance from Fin Moore before the game settled into a midfield duel.
Following extra-time, seven rounds of penalty kicks were required to settle the tie.
HTA’s Grade 10 goalkeeper Levi Nichols stepped up with four saves with the Knights scoring four times to see out the nailbiting result.
“He was definitely the star of the show,” the coach added. “And he got us through that game.”
Foothills entered the playoffs as the top seed in a three-way tie with the Canmore Wolverines and Knights with each team showing their strength and true parity showcasing itself in the league once again.
The Knights are the third different league champion in three years, following on the heels of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans and the Falcons.
Foothills got to the final via a big semifinal victory over Strathmore while HTA got past Canmore 2-1 in extra time in the other matchup.
On Monday, June 9, the Knights and Falcons are in Brooks for the South Central Zone championship. HTA takes on Airdrie’s George McDougall and Foothills plays Brooks in the semifinal round.
The Knights are two-time defending zone champions.
