Down but not out, the St. Albert Skyhawks rose from the canvas to deliver the knockout punch in Thursday’s playoff bout against the Bellerose Bulldogs.
The Skyhawks tattooed the Bulldogs four times in the second half after trailing by two goals in the metro Edmonton division two men’s soccer quarter-final at Forest Park Field.
“I was very worried but we came out in the second half and got it done,” said Grade 11 striker Chase Gratton after scoring twice in the 4-2 decision. “We just found ways to get chances.”
The Skyhawks spent the first half fighting amongst themselves instead of battling the Bulldogs.
“It was bad communication. We were yelling at each other and staying negative,” Gratton said. “During the halftime we just tried to be more positive and then we came out in the second half and got it done.”
Gratton’s clutch goal 10 seconds into the last 30-minute period cued the comeback.
“One of my teammates (Josh Antunes) passed it in front, well he shot it, and the goalie saved it but he fumbled it and I just ran in and just tried to put in the rebound and I was lucky enough for it to go in,” Gratton said. “It was huge to get us going in the second half.”
The goal left the Bulldogs reeling.
“It kills all the momentum and the enthusiasm. It’s like a punch to the stomach, just suddenly off the bat knowing you’re up two-nil and then you’re only ahead by one,” said Josh Vickers, a Grade 12 Bellerose striker.
Sixteen minutes later, and the Skyhawks dominating ball possession and field advantage, Koen Klinge’s header on a play set up by a ball from Antunes to the front of the net for the Skyhawks to control knotted the count at two.
“We should’ve turned around the momentum but instead we sat back and we let them come back at us,” Vickers said.
Six minutes after the equalizer, Gratton slipped out of a sliding tackle by the last defender and from an angle slotted the winning goal.
“I was running down the side and I just tried anything I could to get past the defender and he ended up falling and I tried to bring it to the net and I just shot it. I don’t know what happened but I think it went off the goalie and into the net,” said Gratton, who equalled his goal-scoring total in the team’s round of 16 match, 3-2 over the Lillian Osborne Legends (2-3).
“I’m not supposed to be a goal scorer,” said the community league player.
Klinge’s insurance marker with five minutes remaining was a high shot that went in off the goalkeeper’s hands.
The Skyhawks are 4-1-1 entering Monday’s semifinal against the winner of Friday’s playoff between the pool B W.P. Wagner Warriors (4-1) and pool D St. Joseph Saints (3-2).
The final is 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the ESA Complex.
“We’re excited. We have a lot of great club players and a lot of Grade 12s,” Gratton said.
The Bulldogs finished 2-3-1, including a 3-1 pool C loss to the Skyhawks, after going 4-1-1 as last year’s division two semifinalists.
“I would say about 65 per cent of the guys on this team are Grade 12s so for us to be going out in the quarter-finals is really disappointing,” said Vickers.
His first of two goals was off a free kick in the 20th minute on a yellow card infraction that left the Skyhawks fuming, especially after a defender headed the ball past his own goalkeeper on the ensuing play.
“I saw the keeper was off his line so I was thinking about the shot but at the end of the day there was enough of our men in there to cause problems so I just tried to put it in a dangerous area and it ended up well for us,” Vickers said.
A spirited dash by Vickers with five minutes left before halftime resulted in his second goal.
“I knew I was getting the ball before the first defender and then the second guy came and I completely faked him out and went past him and it was just an easy tap in past the keeper,” said the AC Milan division 1B player in the Edmonton District Soccer Association.
The Skyhawks had a number of quality scoring chances in the first half but a combination of undisciplined penalties and the Bulldogs’ gritty resilience kept them off the score sheet.
“We just outworked the other team,” said Vickers, 18. “We just played together as a team and we got the other team frustrated. We passed around them and used the body against them.
“Every player played their part and played well and put in 100 per cent effort.”
The playoff was originally scheduled for Wednesday but it was shut down in the 12th minute because of lightning and the next day it started from scratch.
“I was so excited for the game and then to have it cancelled I was pretty frustrated,” said Gallant, 17.
“It was really annoying. You’re so ready to go and then all of a sudden your mood is killed,” Vickers added. “Also, one of my good friends, Scott Robson (top scorer with the division 2A St. Albert Impact in the EDSA with four goals) was supposed to be playing yesterday but he worked today so he couldn't make it out and that was another annoyance, not having one of our better players today.”
The rescheduled match was delayed 39 minutes because the referee mistakenly went to Forest Park Heights near McNally High School instead of the St. Albert location.
Head coaches Mike Thompson of the Bulldogs and Frank Klinge of the Skyhawks did their best to keep the players focused and motivated during their lengthy pre-game warm-ups while waiting patiently for the referee to show up.
“We didn’t really know what was going to happen so that was also frustrating,” Gratton said.
