Jasper hosted Soccerfest last weekend, welcoming teams from Hinton and Edson for two days of head-to-head competition.
Soccerfest marks the end of the soccer season, with the winners going to provincials.
The U16 girls took the field on Saturday, playing two games. Competing against Hinton, Jasper’s team came out on top with a score of 2–1. Later that day, facing off against Edson, the Jasper girls had a rough match against a highly competitive team, and lost with a score of 4–0.
For their efforts, the girls won a silver medal; Edson won gold.
On Sunday, it was the U18 boys turn. Although there were supposed to be more teams competing, only Hinton showed up, with the others in the league folding before the end of the season.
Jasper's boys played two very close games against Hinton, winning one and losing one.
During their first game of the day, the boys fought hard, but they were ultimately out played, losing with a score of 2–1. That afternoon, they came back with a renewed energy and managed to win the gold medal, defeating Hinton with a score of 3–1.
Although there were only two games, Jasper was crowned champion for scoring more goals over the course of Soccerfest. Despite winning, Jasper’s U18 boys will not be attending the provincials, said Traudi Golla, soccer director for Jasper Minor Sports, explaining that it’s difficult to get the team to commit to a tournament in July, as its players are active in many other activities.
Jasper’s other teams were also competing in Soccerfests throughout the region last weekend.
The U12 girls won a bronze medal; the U14 boys came in fourth; and the U12 boys—of which there are two teams—came in fifth and sixth. As of press time, Golla hadn’t heard how the U14 girls faired in their games and the U18 girls had not yet competed.
“Soccerfest ends our short and intense soccer season,” she said. “I was very happy with the enrolment to our program, which also included big soccer groups of U6 and U8 children.
“This is all run by parents, but also by adults and young adults who just love soccer and have no children in this program. They put in a lot of time, energy and enthusiasm and without them playing soccer here in town would not be possible.”
Nicole Veerman
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