The Borderland Soccer league’s “Ball Blast” tournament wrapped up Sunday with out-of-town teams taking the final match in both the men’s and women’s brackets.
Dryden’s Juventus squad won a tough 1-0 game over the local Domino’s team a few minutes into overtime when Scott Lund managed to do what most everyone on the field couldn’t for the first 90 minutes—find the back of the net.
“We’ve done pretty well,” said Domino’s coach Sone Sonnasinh. “I’m happy with my players, their performance, and also, Dryden’s a pretty good team, too.”
While Domino’s didn’t come away with the win, it wasn’t for lack of trying. The team’s ball possession was arguably better than that of the visitors and the scoring opportunities on both sides more often than not went wide of the net or—as was the occasion for each team late in the second half—the ball clanged off the post.
A number of attempts from both sides were so close that they drew groans from tired players when they proved fruitless.
Striker Tyler Barker, who earned player of the game multiple times for Domino’s—the only multiple recipient of the tournament—had some of the best scoring chances in the final game but came away disappointed.
“We were all over them, had some good chances but didn’t bury her,” he said.
While his frustration wasn’t visible on his face, it was on his jersey, which was covered in dirt, front and back.
“I don’t like to lose. You just do anything to win. And then we lose,” laughed Barker.
Some of that dirt came when Barker came into a bit of contact with Juventus’ Austin Helie, which drew a yellow card. Juventus was carded twice after—once from a trip by Ben Bartlett, and the third a meaningless card flashed at the team as they poured onto the field to swarm Lund in appreciation of the goal.
Andrew Skene, a striker and the captain of the visitors, didn’t get poetic when asked how the game went. “Long,” he said. “Long was the word.”
While the score in the women’s match was just as close, the game wasn’t nearly as tense. Moncrief United of Kenora bested the All-Temp club from Thunder Bay by a 2-1 score in an all out-of-town final.
It looked like an easy victory for Moncrief at the half when they led 2-0, but All-Temp caught a quick goal with the wind at their backs early in the second, and then clogged their net with defenders to prevent the deficit from widening again. While the trapping defense proved effective, the emphasis away from offense kept All-Temp from drawing even.
“I think we came out in the first half a little more ready than they did and then in the second, the roles were reversed,” said Lana-Rae Ponton, a player rep and centre midfield for United.
“Thunder Bay (All-Temps) was probably one of the best teams in the tournament so far. It was a well-controlled game,” she added.
All-Temps coach Alaine Auger agreed. “It was a close game. Pretty good—tough,” she said.
In the matches for third place, Gillons blanked Taggs 4-0 on the women’s bracket and Pharmasave likewise shut out Emo 5-0 for the men.
Another Fort Frances team, ITS, pulled out of the tournament at the last minute due to lack of players, although some members of ITS found their way onto other teams.
The weekend tournament wasn’t all about soccer—one of the most talked about events was the “Ball Blast” social held Saturday night at La Place Rendez-Vous.
While the tournament has always hosted an evening event, this year was the first at a hotel instead of a bar, and hosted poker events and Dance Dance Revolution as well as a live deejay and a more conventional dance floor.
Borderland Soccer president Timea Fleury was pleased with the party-like atmosphere at the social and the community presence that night.
“(There was) a lot of support just from local people coming out, not involved in the tournament, so that was nice to see,” she said.
Players from out of town like Ponton had nothing but nice things to say about the town and the hosting of the tournament and were grateful for the opportunity to play against an unknown field.
“It’s nice to mix it up with different teams. It makes you a better player, I think,” she said.
For her part, Fleury—overseeing the event for the first time—was “so worried” about how the weekend would go but gave the tournament a thumbs up.
“Everything’s been good. The reffing’s been good, the teams have been really good,” she said.
She was also very thankful to event sponsors—many who helped out “at the last minute,” she added.
With the “Ball Blast” over, the Borderland Soccer playoffs are in full swing, although games last night and tonight have been postponed in recognition of funeral services being held for two recently deceased local youths, Neil Roy and Ben Klyne.
The men’s semi-finals will be held tomorrow night with Emo facing off with Gillons and Dominos paired with Pharmasave.
The women’s final, featuring the top-ranked Taggs team against Gillons, will take place Monday night.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
