Midway player part of Team Kootenay at B.C. Summer Games
By Bruce Fuhr
A few breaks one way or another and Team Kootenay may have finished up the standings at the recent 2012 B.C. Summer Games last month in Surrey.
The team, coached by Kerry Dyck and James Baxter of Nelson and Michael Stambulic of Cranbrook, finished the boy’s soccer tournament with a 2-3 record and seventh place in the province.
“In the end it was a very positive experience,” said head coach Kerry Dyck. “Most of all, the camaraderie we developed as a team (they are a terrific group of boys and it was a real pleasure to work with them and I am extremely proud of them) and just being part of the experience of the BC Summer Games were real highlights,” Dyck added.
Six of the players on the team were from Nelson — Milo Baranyai-Sheppard, Thomas Baxter, Jaden Dyck, Ezra Foy, Angus Paterson and Jesse Thurston — and two players were from Castlegar — Josh Fogal — and Midway — Sam Foy.
The rest of the players were from Cranbrook.
Nelson opened the round robin by bouncing North West 3-1.
Cody Sugihara of Cranbrook scored twice while Jesse Thurston added a single.
Team Kootenay then ran into two very tough teams from Thompson Okanagan and Fraser River-Delta, losing 5-0 and 7-1 respectively.
Fraser River-Delta did not lose a game during the entire tournament, taking home the gold medal.
The only goal of the tournament Fraser River-Delta allowed was scored by Castlegar’s Josh Fogal.
In the consolation round, Team Kootenay ran into some bad luck losing to Vancouver Island/Central Coast 3-1.
Team Kootenay held a 1-0 lead on the Lower Mainland zone on a goal by Cranbrook’s Jordan Klassen before the players ran out of gas.
“Due to some logistical errors by the games organizers earlier in the day — the bus missed picking the team up, our boys had not had breakfast or lunch (the lunches were late being delivered and did not arrive in time to get to us before our game,” Dyck explained.
“In the second half we continued strong initially, but by the midpoint of the second half you could see the boys running out of gas.”
In the seventh-eighth matchup, Team Kootenay once again outlasted North West 3-1.
Klassen, Mikey Stambulic of Cranbrook and Midway’s Sam Foy scored for Team Kootenay.
