Two Yorkton United Soccer clubs - the Blazers and Futurestars - took part in Regina's under-8 90-team indoor soccer tournament this past weekend on January 25-27.
Both squads thrived in the Queen City tourney, which featured teams from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, going undefeated.
The Blazers took the cake, winning gold with a 3-0-1 record.
The Futurestars also stood tall, finishing with a strong 2-0-1 showing.
Despite not having much time to loosen up in Regina, both clubs took their first games on Friday afternoon. The Blazers won 3-1 and the Futurestars came away with a 6-3 victory.
The following day the Futurestars met the REU Lynx, a very strong Regina-based team. The contest was a nail bitter, finishing in a 3-3 tie.
The Blazers kept the ball rolling in their second match, capturing a 6-1 win.
On the last day of the tourney, the Futurestars took their opponents to the cleaners in an 8-1 win and the Blazers came away with a 3-3 tie.
Even though both teams ended up with a 2-0-1 record, only the Blazers moved on to the final because of the tourney's point system.
"The kids (Futurestars) were disappointed, but I was proud with the kids' effort and with how well they played," says Futurestars head coach Alfredo Bermudez.
"This was the first tournament experience for most of the kids and they didn't let the environment bother them," he added. "There is probably a thousand people going around the facility at any onetime and it was the first time for most of them playing in such a big field with artificial turf, but it never affected them at all. They just played their game."
The Blazers met up with the REU Lynx in the final. Carter Dumelie notched two goals to give the Blazers an early 2-0 lead. Regina quickly stormed back with a few minutes left in the contest though, tying the game up at two. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in overtime, forcing it to a shootout. The game remained deadlock after all nine players on each team shot, sending it into a sudden-death shootout. The Blazers' Simon Hartman scored the game winner and J.J Quinde-Seeley made the crucial save right after to lead their squad to gold.
"It was an incredible game," says Blazers head coach Andy Wyatt. "Tournament organizers, coaches, parents and the players were on the edge of their seats the entire game. You usually don't expect this type of game with six and seven year olds, but they surprised everyone with how hard they were playing."
