A few months ago, there was doubt Stettler would be able to field an under-18 boys’ soccer team this summer, let alone win a provincial championship.
A shortage of players threatened to derail Stettler FC even before the first whistle sounded on the 2012 season. At the 11th hour, however, the team came together and set course for a spectacular season that ended Sunday with a gold-medal finish in the provincial Tier 4 rural championship at Three Hills.
Stettler blanked host Three Hills 2-0 in the final of a three-day tournament that was played in sweltering heat that was pushing above 30 C.
Stettler sparkplug Braden Bowie, the team’s MVP on the weekend, scored in two of the three games and assisted on Ricky Armstrong’s winning goal in the final.
Bowie, 18, was one of those players added to the 16-man roster on the eve of the spring/summer season, as Stettler scrambled to find a full complement.
“At the beginning, I didn’t even register for soccer,” said Bowie, a hockey player who hadn’t played soccer the previous two years. “(Teammate) Brandon Hoskins actually called me and asked me to sign up, about a week or two weeks after registration. I got in touch with Brad (coach Newton) and I got myself signed up just before our first game.
“I’m not really sure exactly what was happening with (the U18 registration). I just know that we weren’t even supposed to have a team.”
Stettler not only rallied to form an under-18 team, but went on to win the Central Alberta Soccer Association championship. Then, the kids from the heart of Alberta showed more heart on the weekend as they won three games in as many days to take home the provincial gold medals.
“It was awesome for everybody,” Bowie said. “I know, last year, (Stettler) got silver at provincials, and they lost to Three Hills, but it sounds like Stettler dominated that game. Like, 90 per cent of the time, they had it. They just let in one weak goal. So, it was awesome for them to get back out there and take gold this time.
“I guess everything just came together this weekend. At least, it was nice to win provincials in something, because I never have before.”
Bowie and six of his soccer teammates were part of the Stettler Legion Blues team that failed to medal at the midget A hockey provincials last March in Rocky Mountain House, so the soccer title was a redemption of sorts.
“I think it was a little bit of motivation, since we didn’t win (hockey) provincials,” he said. “We wanted to win something, at least in some sport, before you’re done your minor sports. I will probably never play soccer again.
“I like playing soccer, (but) I’m just there for the fun. It’s not really one of my passions. I like hockey a lot more.
“Soccer is kind of a second sport to most of us. We’re all big hockey players, but it was still a great year (in soccer). It was really awesome.
“All of us are really athletic. We’re usually pretty good at every sport we try. It all kind of clicked together — after a little bit of practice and stuff like that. And everybody plays with a lot of heart, so it makes it really good.”
Hockey ties run deep with the Stettler soccer champions. While seven members of the U18s played hockey with the Legion Blues, the Muhlbach twins — Derek and Dylan — skated with the junior B Lightning, and Jeff Skaley tended goal for the provincial midget A runner-up Hanna Colts.
A winning spirit came from the likes of Armstrong and Hoskins, both members of the provincial Tier 3 high school football champion Stettler Wildcats last fall.
The Hoskins twins — Brandon and Cody — turned 18 last Friday, as Stettler opened its provincial soccer march with a 2-1 win over Carstairs. Bowie and Anthony Vanderburg scored for Stettler.
In Saturday’s action, Stettler blanked Fort Saskatchewan 1-0 to earn a berth in the final Sunday.
Stettler went up against the host team in the gold-medal game, but it didn’t necessarily seem that way.
“I think we had the fans on our side (Sunday),” said Bowie, whose father and grandparents were in the crowd at Three Hills. “After we scored our first goal, for sure, the momentum was definitely on our side. Their fans weren’t very loud and ours were, so it was awesome. There was lots of people there. It was a really good atmosphere.”
Stettler weathered its opponents — and the extreme heat — as Cole Nichols recorded his second shutout of the tournament and Dustin Newton scored an insurance goal in the second half of the 2-0 victory.
“It was an exhausting weekend,” Bowie said.
“Afterward, everybody’s feet hurt from their cleats. I know Derek Muhlbach lost a toenail, so that didn’t feel too good.
“With the hot weather, we just stayed hydrated a lot. I know our coaches really watched (to monitor fatigue). If some kids looked like they were having some problems with the heat, they’d pull them off and get them in the shade. We had lots of water and Powerade (drinks), and just kept ourselves hydrated. Everybody was pouring water on themselves, just trying to cool down. Even if it was only for a few minutes, it still helped.”
Stettler showed its depth on the weekend as the club played without co-captain Dylan Muhlbach, a versatile athlete who wasn’t available because of work commitments.
Stettler’s U18 lineup is loaded with strong players, and that physical toughness proved to be a factor in the team’s championship performance.
“We definitely have a big team,” said Bowie, one of the smaller players at about five-foot-eight and 145 pounds. “Our team is a lot bigger than Three Hills, for sure.”
“It was intense the whole time (at the provincials). Our last game, the tension was unreal. People were yelling at each other all the time. Our team usually gets bummed out a lot, because we’re all a bunch of hockey and football players, so we get a little bit more rough than all the other teams do. We’re used to the contact and stuff like that.
“The refs were good about it this weekend, though. They let us play on and kept everything at a fast pace.”
Reminiscent of his hockey efforts, the relentless Bowie relied on speed to make himself a constant scoring threat during the soccer provincials.
“That’s all I try and do, is just go faster than the other guys,” he said. “I’m not big enough to push people around, so …
“I just had a lot of energy this weekend. I went out there and I just tried my hardest, really, and the ball just came to me. I got a lot of good chances — some I should have put in the net, and I didn’t, and then some that I did get in the net, so it was good.”
After playing defence this season, Bowie responded to a shift to striker and midfield early in the provincial tournament.
“The whole season, I played defence, and I never really played that much,” he said. “Then, they put me on striker and it seemed to work a lot better for me, just using my speed. I scored a few goals and they kept me there, and I did pretty good all weekend.
“Brandon Wintringham was originally playing striker and he asked for a sub within the first five minutes (of Game 1 last Friday) to get some water, so they just quickly put me out there and I scored a goal, so they kept me there. Just got to prove yourself.”
Bowie and his teammates proved their worth on the weekend, and they celebrated the provincial title late Sunday night and still reported to their respective summer jobs Monday.
“It was really awesome,” Bowie said with a smile Monday evening. “I think most of us had to work today, but we didn’t care. We were all pretty pumped that we won.”
U18 NAME GAME:
Stettler’s provincial gold-medallists include nine members of the class of 2012 from William E. Hay Composite High School — Ricky Armstrong, Braden Bowie, Cody and Brandon Hoskins, Derek and Dylan Muhlbach, Cole Nichols, Mackenize Rost and Nick Yaschuk.
Other members of the Stettler under-18 team are Graeme Broemling, Logan Davidson, Dustin Newton, Jeff Skaley, Josh Taylor, Anthony Vanderburg and Brandon Wintringham.
Brad Newton is the head coach, Tim Girard is the assistant coach and Carla Vanderburg is the manager.