No four-peat in Men's Open as Innkeepers knock off three-time champion Kootenay Co-op
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
There will be no four-peat in the Nelson City Soccer Open Men’s Division.
Iain Harvey’s first half tally sparked the Nelson Innkeepers to a 1-0 victory over three-time defending champion Kootenay Co-op in the Men’s Open Final Sunday afternoon at the Lakeside Pitch.
Despite struggling for most of season Co-op staged a late season surge during the second-half of the season to advance to the championship game, getting past Vikings in one semi final.
Meanwhile the Innkeepers, which barely lost out to the U18 Reps in the race for the first half title, were the most consistent squad throughout the season.
The ‘Keepers won the fall regular season title with an undefeated mark.
In the final both teams took turns penetrating the defensive lines only to find the goalkeepers equal to the task.
That was until Harvey managed to get into the clear for the game’s only goal.
Mike Precious was outstanding between the pipes for the Innkeepers to register the shutout.
Paul Anderson, Derek Stefiuk and Chris Richards for the Innkeepers and Kootenay Co-op player Cam Kuch and Cedar Goebel all received cautions during the game.
In the other Nelson City Soccer Playoff Sunday, Finley’s Jiggers won the Women’s Over-30 title while Bia Boro captured the Men’s Over-35 crown. The final scores in both games were 4-1.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
