Velocity trumped ferocity in the Senior boys soccer battle of unbeatens.
The Canmore Crusaders used speed in attack to defeat a physical Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) Knights club 4-1. The win on May 15 in Okotoks put Canmore firmly in the driver’s seat for the Foothills Athletic Council (FAC) championship.
“That first half we were giving them way too much respect,” said Knights coach Tyson Fedor. “We were a team that was nervous playing them. I don’t know if we were intimidated by them. We started the second half absolutely fantastic and after the (Canmore) 3-1 goal went in it was all downhill from there.”
“We just got beat by the better team today, that’s what it all boils down to.”
The first-place showdown between HTA (4-1) and Canmore (4-0) had extra meaning this year as the FAC abandoned the playoff format of year’s past. Instead, the top team in league play is awarded the FAC championship with South Central Zones to follow.
“They gave us a physical game and we know that’s what we’re going to get when we come to play Holy Trinity, and they’re not just physical they have good skills as well,” said Crusaders head coach Gavin Peacock. “We know we had to be on top of our game and the good thing about our team is we’ve got goals from lots of positions.”
On this night the Crusaders needed just one talisman.
Fleet-footed striker John Lee scored all four goals for Canmore.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Knights came out a different team in the second half and were rewarded for their efforts. Grade 10 striker Tulio Moraes got the Knights on the board just 10 minutes after the break.
Lee would put an end to any designs of a comeback with a sublime header over HTA netminder James Hielema for his third goal of the afternoon. Lee would add his fourth by blistering down the left flank and beating the Knights defender with pure speed.
HTA dominated possession for large stretches of the second-half, but were unable to narrow the gap on the Crusaders thanks largely to several key saves from Canmore goalkeeper Wes Rose. When possession switched hands the Crusaders’ forte on the counterattack was on full display.
“We’ve got real speed up front and guys that can finish,” Peacock said of the counterattack his team displayed. “Even when we’re absorbing pressure from the opposition, one or two passes and we can be in at the other end and create a chance.”
The Crusaders coach told his players to expect an aggressive match with a Knights team that will shoulder check, battle for the ball in the air and finish their challenges. HTA did not disappoint.
“Over the last two years they’ve emerged as what we’ve got called our arch rivals,” said Peacock, a premier league soccer player in England with famed clubs Newcastle and Chelsea in the 1990s. “This was always going to be the game of the season for the league.”
The Crusaders (4-0) control their own destiny with two games remaining. If Canmore can defeat Foothills Composite and Highwood High twice, it will win its second consecutive FAC championship.
“It’s very disappointing, but there still is that slim hope to get first place,” Fedor said. “It would be nice to play them again (in league play), but we’ll get another shot at them at zones.”
HTA closes its campaign with a pair of dates in Okotoks. The Knights host the Strathmore Spartans today, May 22, at Riverside Park. HTA and Foothills Composite then lower the curtain on the FAC season on Monday May 27 at Kinsmen Field in Okotoks. Both games are 4:30 p.m. starts.
Find the full results and schedules at footillsathletics.ca
