It was a rough weekend for high school soccer teams from North Battleford in their quest to make the provincial finals this weekend.
In a 2A regional semifinal game held at Fairview Fields Saturday, the John Paul II Crusaders boys’ soccer fell to Chief Poundmaker by a score of 7-1.
“They came out early and really took the wind out of our sails with a couple of early goals,” Crusaders head coach Shalen Fox said. “We came out late in the first half with a goal to make it 3-1, but they came out strong again in the second half to pull away. We can’t expect to finish strong and make a charge when you fall behind like we did.
“We had a young team this year and we have almost everyone coming back next year. We have three players that are graduating, so that’s an excellent core to build around going forward.”
Jaylynn Bull had the lone goal for the Crusaders in the loss.
With the win, Chief Poundmaker will join Se Se Wa Hum at the provincials in Prince Albert starting Friday.
In 2A girls’ competition, John Paul II and the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Vikings saw their seasons come to an end in Prince Albert on Saturday.
The Crusaders suffered a 4-1 loss to Meadow Lake in the semifinal while the Vikings were shut out 6-0 by Se Se Wa Hum.
Both Meadow Lake and Se Se Wa Hum will compete for a provincial title in Saskatoon this weekend.
North Battleford will play host to the 1A girls’ provincial final starting Friday, which will feature eight teams at Centennial Field and the North Battleford Comprehensive High School track and field complex.
Maymont will be the hosts for the tournament, which will also feature Osler VCA, Lake Lenore, Humboldt, Middle Lake, Lloydminster Holy Rosary, Rosthern Jr. College and Muenster.
The knockout tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, with the championship game getting underway at 2 p.m. Saturday at the North Battleford track and field complex.
Maymont is also taking part in the 1A boys’ provincial tournament, which is being held in Middle Lake starting Friday.
