Cochrane Attacking Wolves went undefeated (4-0) en route to winning the Alberta Soccer Outdoor Provincial Championships under-12-year-old (U12) Tier 3 championship.
Wolves edged Edmonton Xtreme 2-1 in the Aug. 16 final at Calgary Soccer Centre after defeating Edmonton Selects 2-1, Fort McMurray Fury 5-1 and Calgary Red Bulls 8-3 at the weekend-long tournament.
In the final, Alex Bend gave Cochrane a 1-0 edge in the first half of the match played over two, 30-minute halves. The Calgary Soccer Centre’s full-size, artificial-turf fields were divided in half to accommodate the dozens of matches on the go. Teams played nine-aside.
“It feels pretty good. The boys put a lot of effort out there,” said Attacking Wolves head coach Edgar Perez on the field with his jubilant players following the provincial-championship match. “We played smart in the first half. The second half was a bit of a struggle. But they pulled it off.”
The Xtreme came at Attacking Wolves in waves in the second half, forcing Cochrane ’keeper Sam Finley to make several jaw-dropping saves, two in which he dived to the far post to smother the ball and a point-blank bullet he was in position to stop. But with time winding down, Edmonton got the equalizer on a lengthy, looping kick that found the top corner behind Finley.
“Edmonton is known for excellent teams,” Perez observed. “Every time they play provincials, they play fantastic.”
Reeling from the late goal, Cochrane was under pressure again but tightened up and went right at Edmonton. With the play rolling towards the Xtreme goal, Edin Kovacevic slotted the dagger home three minutes from full time.
“It feels great,” said Attacking Wolves assistant coach Miles McKee. “I don’t think we’ve done this before. So this feels great.”
