The last 6 years have seen either the Bishop Mahoney Saints or Evan Hardy Souls or both not only reach the City Championship game in girl's soccer but take the title and carry the crown.  As fate would have it and as the success of these programs would dictate, the 2008 City Championship will again feature the Saints and the Souls and ensurie that for the 7th consecutive year one of these teams will be honored as City Champions.  The Souls will go for their 5th title in 7 years and the defending city and provincial champion Saints will be looking for their 3 over the same time period. Both programs have each earned an impressive 3 provincial crowns over the same 6 year period. 

The Souls and the Saints just know how to get it done in the playoffs.  Evan Hardy have seized the playoff moment, saving their best ball for the post season.  The Souls have sent higher seeds packing for the winter in consecutive starts. Beginning with the 3rd seeded Chargers, the 6th ranked Souls downed the higher seeds from Centennial with an emotionally charged overtime and shootout victory in the 1/4 final and advanced to the semi final.  The Souls used their emotional win to inspire their effort against the #2 Marion Graham Falcons who were looking to finally clear the hurdle of advancing to the championship game.  The Souls were impressive in the pre cities game, executing cleanly and sharply at the offensive end and being focused on the defensive side, clipping the wings of the Falcons by keeping them in fromt of them at all times.  Evidence of their sharpness of offense was the impressive set piece and free kick they executed in the second half when Calla Belyk notched their first goal by striking over the wall of the Falcon defenders and bending the tally into the top corner of the goal.  The journey many times is as or more important than the destination and the Souls have used patience and practice to time...

Whether you are a casual observer, proud supporter, player, or coach, you might want to bring a defibrillator if you are following the action in the soccer playoffs in 2008.  The soccer playoffs are cardiac crazy on both the boys and girls fronts and nerves have been on edge for extended periods of time.

There have been nail biting finishes in boys and girls action.  It would have kept fans at the edge of their seats if there were any at the Sasktel Sports Centre.   1/4 of the playoff games have needed extra time followed by a penalty shootout to declare a winner and a team to advance to the next round of the playoffs.  Competitive parody has not been seen on the pitch like this in years and anxious moments and great drama is being played out as a result of the evenly matched contests.  It may be a difficult and arguably controversial way to decide a contest, but the penalty kick shoot out certainly creates added excitement.   In quallifying action, the Walter Murray Marauders and Bethlehem Stars were tied at 2 goals each at the end of regular time and required extra time and a shoot out before Wallter Murray advanced to 1/4 final round play.  In girls 1/4 final action, 2 games were extended the distance before deciding a winner.  #4 Holy Cross and #5 St. Joseph went scoreless after regular time and were still at nil -nil after extra time.  Penalty kicks were required to decide a winner to advance to the semi-final, Holy Cross fortunate to advance to the next round.    Ashley Smolinsky of St. Joseph and Zoe Grace of Holy Cross were the keepers who had outstanding nights which kept their teams in the game until the final moments.  # 3 Evan Hardy and # 6 Centennial also required extra time and penalty kicks to decide a winner.   Both teams were scoreless after 35 minutes before the Souls took a 2 goal lead early in the second half.  Centennial ...

For the Marion Graham Girls Soccer team, the playoff building process to get back to the top of the girl's soccer standings has come slowly and steadily.  Traditionally a soccer power house, the Falcons have fallen just short of reaching the City Championship as of late and are looking to get back to the championship game in 2008 and earn a trip to Swift Current for the 3A Provicial Championship.  It would be a satisfying part of the journey to reach the city final,  the destinatiion that has been part of their focus for some time.  More satisfying would be carrying the city crown after taking some time to build a collective unit in a selfeles pursuit of a team goal.   Judging by their team performance and the way they share the ball on the pitch in the 2008 season, the goal is in sight. 

The Falcons last won the City Championship title in 2000 and have come close to taking the crown once agian, but have seen Bishop Mahoney and Evan Hardy take the city honors in 6 of the last 7 years.  Things appeared to be on the rigt path last year when the Falcons played exceptionally well in the semi final game versus the Bishop Mahoney Saints, but they lost a close contest 2-1, losing to the Saints who went on to win a city title and Provincial Championship.  Soccer people were impressed by the Falcons team play last season and their ball control offense, appearing at times to play keep away with their opponents, but it did not lead to the finish at the end ot the season for which they had set their goals.   Again, soccer enthusiasts have been impresed with the Falcon's team play, but they have some unfinished business left in pursuit of the championship.  Early season success had them with a record of 5-2, good enough for a second seed in the city playoffs.  Disappointing losses to their rival and nemesis Bishop Mahoney 1 nil and St. Joseph Guardians 1 nil were the only blemishes on their resu...