Selects ready for Kootenay playdowns with consolation tourney win in Kalispell, Montana
By The Nelson Daily Sports
If it not were for some miscommunication and a couple of slip-ups in the back line during round robin play and Nelson Select quite possibly could have been playing in the championship final instead of the consolation game of the U15 Boy’s Division Sunday at the Kalispell Youth Soccer Tournament in the Montana State.
The mistakes came during a Sunday morning game against Creston that saw the East Kootenay squad shutout the Reps from Nelson 3-0.
However, the Reps did manage to regroup during the consolation final, enjoying most of the play and were full-value for the 2-0 victory over Polson, Montana.
Micah May scored the only goal Nelson would need, knocking the ball into the net during a scramble.
The other tally was an own goal by Polson in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
The victory came as Nelson prepares to travel to Cranbrook Saturday for the Kootenay Zone U15 Boy’s Playdowns against Kootenay East from the host City, Creston and Columbia Valley.
In the Montana City, the Selects opened with a 2-0 win over Sandpoint, Idaho.
Evan Kulik scored the opener with a thundering kick off his left foot from beyond the 18-yard box that fooled the keeper.
Nelson added an insurance marker late in the second after a Sandpoint player put it in his own net off a James Miller cross.
The Selects then struggled to find any consistency during a 2-0 loss to Flathead, Montana.
Flathead held a 1-0 advantage before adding an insurance marker on the final play of the game.
Sunday morning, the Selects suffered a heartbreaking loss to Kootenay rival Creston.
An association Nelson teams normally have their way with, mistakes in the back line came back to haunt the Heritage City squad, allowing Creston to score twice in the first half.
The final goal came late in the second half.
The winner of the Kootenay Playdowns represents the zone at the B.C. Soccer Provincial B Cup July 5-8 in Aldergrove.
