YORKTON - The Sacred Heart Saints boys’ soccer team competed at the 4A Boys Regional Championship held in Moose Jaw on October 18-19.
Coming into the Regional competition as the top seed, the Saints had a bye for Friday and did not compete until the early game on Saturday. Facing Regina Huda, the Saints were able to control play right from the beginning, exploiting the vast spaces vacated by the Huda midfield.
Crisp and precise passing by the Saints saw them dominate play form much of the first half.
Despite dominating possession, the score at half time was 0-0.
The Saints continued to press Huda when play resumed for the second half, but the Huda goalkeeper parried all of the goal attempts by the Saints.
Relief for the Saints finally came by way of a Huda own goal after a free-kick taken by the Saints’ Noah Wyatt.
This would remain the only goal of the game and saw the Saints advance to the Regional Championship final, where they would face their perennial rival, Moose Jaw Central Collegiate.
“Both teams played an excellent game and it was exciting playing an opponent we have not met recently. They boys were well in form and really dominated play. While we were not rewarded with as many goals as our control of play could have, we were satisfied with the result,” offered coach Sebastian Prost.
The afternoon game saw two exhausted teams in action who were very evenly matched. Nonetheless, the Saints’ conceded a goal midway through the first half before also losing a player to a red card, the result of a negligent and reckless physical play.
The Saints headed into half-time down to 10-men and a goal behind.
The second half of the match saw the Saints continue to press play against their opponent despite being short-handed.
The reward for the effort came early in the second half with a penalty kick goal by the Saint’s Wyatt after an infraction by a Central player in the penalty area.
Now tied 1-1, the Saints gained inspiration and continued to press forward, but the score would remain unchanged through the remainder of regulation time.
The game then moved to extra time to attempt to break the deadlock.
The Saints were able to take the lead for the first time in the match with a goal in the third minute of the first extra time half, scored again by the Saint’s Wyatt, this time from a free kick.
The score would remain unchanged for the remainder of extra time, securing the Regional Championship for the Saints for the second year in a row.
“It was a tough game for us, especially losing a player quite early in the game,” said Prost. “The boys rallied together well though and kept themselves in the game. I think we were all quite surprised by the turn of events in the end, but it was definitely not undeserved. Every player ensured that we continued to press our opponent and generate scoring opportunities and give ourselves the chance to win that match.”
The Saints now play in the Provincial 4A Boys’ Championship held in Yorkton on October 25-26.
