May 2 and 3, to hone their skills and test the strengths of the teams they will play throughout the new season with U 16 boys also making a pitch at the title in their category.
U18 girls team returned from Camrose with medals, silver ones, after they lost the title game to hosts Camrose 1-0. To advance to the final, Stettler girls won their first game 1-0 over Lacombe and tied with Rocky Mountain House 2-2. Head coach Tammy Dolliver said with some of her players never having played soccer before and some of them new to the team, their performance was “great.”
U16 girls lost their two games to Rimbey and Rocky Mountain House with the same score: 3-0. But their coach Shelley Davis Hall said she was satisfied with her team’s play. “They played great,” she said.
Despite having won their first game 1-0 over Pnoka, U14 Stettler girls were deprived of the chance to bring back gold medals when they lost two consecutive games against Camrose. In their first game, Stettler girls lost 1-0, but still made it to the championship game against Camrose and forced a shoot-out in the title match after a goalless draw in regulation. Coach Breanna Davis-Hall said her girls had improved “tremendously” since they started practices.
U12 girls lots their first game to Camrose 4-2 and the second to Lacombe 3-1 but their coach Angela Gendre said she was satisfied with her team’s efforts. “The girls worked very hard this weekend and had lots of fun,” she said, adding that strong wind and a short bench were the two challenges they had to overcome.
As for U16 boys, they easily overpowered Rocky Mountain House 4-1 in their first game, with goals coming from James Switenky (2), Chase Dolliver and Bradley Dods but lost their second game to Ponoka 3-0. AS with other Stettler teams, the short bench turned out to be a significant disadvantage for Stettler boys.