Stettler FC under-16 girls were gold-medallists on the weekend at the annual Camrose Night Classic soccer tournament.
The three-day tournament involved 118 teams overall.
The Stettler association has also reported bronze medal victories for its Tier 3 under-16 boys’ and under-12 boys’ teams.
The under-16 girls from Stettler posted an unbeaten record of three wins and a tie. They defeated St. Paul 3-2 in the gold-medal game. Kennedy Fisher’s second goal of the game late in the second half lifted Stettler, which also got the game-opening goal from Lindsey McKinnon.
Nikyta Lachowsky netted a hat trick as Stettler blanked Athabasca 3-0, and she scored the lone Stettler goal in a 1-1 tie against Sylvan Lake.
On Saturday night in heavy rain, Stettler doubled Jasper 6-3 on two goals from Lachowsky and one each from Fisher, Grace Chapman, Morgan VanDusen and Kendra Volker.
“The success at this tournament is a continuation of the winning season that these girls are experiencing with the guidance of head coach Tammy Dolliver and assistant coach Alyssa McKinnon,” said Stettler manager Michelle Fisher. “They are undefeated in league play (five wins and two ties) and are developing into a very strong and fast team that works well together.”
The Stettler under-16 girls have five more games on their league schedule before competing in the provincial qualifying tournament June 23 and 24 in Lacombe.
Last Thursday, Stettler scored a 5-1 win over Lacombe. Lindsey McKinnon, with two, Lachowsky, Chapman and Jayden Doucette scored the Stettler goals.
Bronze-medal wins
UNDER-16 BOYS: At the Camrose tournament, Stettler’s under-16 boys netted the Tier 3 bronze medal with a win over St. Paul in a game that went to a penalty shootout.
Stettler earlier beat St. Paul 2-1 in round-robin play, but lost 2-0 to Camrose and 1-0 to Edmonton.
UNDER-12 BOYS: Stettler under-12 boys’ Tier 3 team surprised itself with a third-place finish.
The Stettler boys edged Camrose Tier 3 5-4, beat Edmonton SE 6-1 and lost 3-1 to Airdrie, which will host the Tier 3 provincials. In its fourth game, Stettler dropped a 5-0 decision to Edmonton Millwoods, who were undefeated in the tournament.
“We are very proud of the way our boys played and conducted themselves both on and off the field,” said Stettler assistant coach Greg Switenky. “The score in the fourth game against Millwoods was not indicative of how well our boys played and how competitive the game was overall.”
League play
In the past week, Stettler Minor Soccer Association reported these results:
UNDER-12 BOYS’ TIER 4: Stettler lost 7-1 to Sylvan Lake and 5-2 to Ponoka and defeated Ponoka 3-0. Stettler’s scorers were Zackary Lachowsky, with three goals, Steele Nichols, with two, and Austin Jacobsen.
UNDER-12 BOYS’ TIER 3: Stettler defeated Lacombe teams 12-0 ad 6-2. In the second game, Johan Bauwer scored three goals, Jackson Squires had two and Erik Rost added one.
UNDER-16 BOYS’ TIER 3: Tyler Wells had three goals as Stettler blanked Camrose 6-0. Matthew Bennett added two and Jamie Bromwich had one.
UNDER-18 BOYS: Stettler blanked Ponoka 3-0 on two goals from Anthony Vanderburg and one from Derek Muhlbach.
UNDER-14 BOYS: Steven McCrea was the lone Stettler scorer in its 3-1 loss to Ponoka.
Under-10 mini-festival
This Saturday, Stettler hosts an under-10 minifestival. The developmental program gives players “an opportunity to begin to experience competition while having fun and advancing their skills.”
Teams from Stettler, Red Deer and Lacombe are scheduled to participate in the festival at the RCMP and high school fields.