The IFC Wolves edged the Pender Harbour Bananas in a shootout to claim the men's adult soccer playoff championship last Sunday.
Pender was looking for its second straight championship, but it was not to be.
The Bananas got off to a good start with strikes from Denis Tasic and Jim Lemieux, putting Pender up 2-0 in front of their home fans at Lions Park. But the Wolves battled back to tie the contest on goals by Ryan Paul and Junior Dixon.
Meanwhile, the defensive duos of Robin Millar and Kuna Sakaren along with Corey August and Ian Dixon, kept the score respectable.
Tasic wasn't done as he put Pender ahead, but then Danny Muir ran one into the net, for a 3-3 tie that extended through extra time.
The whooping crowd then took the field to form a semi-circle around the shootout area. Each keeper saved a penalty. When the Pender shooter hit the post, it was the death knell to the Banana's hopes of a second consecutive tournament win, as Muir put his shot in the net. Muir took away tournament MVP, while the Most Sportsmanlike Soft Shoe trophy went to Dave Marsh.
The tournament weekend was co-hosted successfully for the first time by north Coast teams Pender and Halfmoon Bay.
Saturday saw the eight teams jockeying for the four semifinal spots. Stellar goalkeeping from the likes of John Jackson, George Cuthbertson, Shane Vernon and retiring 20-year veteran Blaine Shleibinger forced low scores and premium goals. Some highlights from the round robin play saw a skipping strike into the sidemesh from Chief's Curtis Craigan in their 1-1 tie with CPU; Gibsons Pigs United's Tony Duffy and Ridgepoint FC's Ken Fujimori exchanging cannon fire; and a flurry of late-in-the-game net pelting from Sita FC'sGlenn Coady and Eric Pinfold in an unsuccessful attempt to counter Ridgepoint's goals from Josh Knox.
CPU was ousted in one semifinal almost single-handedly by Pender keeper Al Stewart, whose two saves on Eoin Walker in the first five minutes, along with a stopped penalty and a pointblank blocker save, gave Rodnaldo Kammerle the 25-yard opening he needed for the game winner.
Halfmoon Bay put in their best play of the tournament when they contended with Sita FC for the tangible reward of the duct-taped Beer Cup trophy that could be broken apart into 24 separate pieces, each with a snap off top. Halfmoon Bay took their prize on a strike from Jesse Morantz. Cuthbertson kept one eye on the shining, aluminum trophy as the other tracked Ken Campbell's missiles as he shut out Sita's strikers. CPU took third place in their match with Ridgepoint, with a first goal from 'Jumping' Jesse Gemmel.
The league would like to thank Dean Totten and Dave Marsh for the great weekend.
