Walter Murray has something to talk about other than their 4 time champion cross country team.  They can play some soccer too. The Maruaders boys soccer team have put two consecutive solid soccer performances together to earn a trip to the championship game on Monday October 20, 7:15 PM at the Sasktel Sports Centre. The 3-3-1 #4 Marauders followed a 3-2 1/4 victory over the 3-3 1 #5 St. Joseph Guardians with a shocking 3-2 overtime second round, second striker shootout victory over the league champions and 2 time defending City Champions Holy Cross Crusaders.  It was an intense emotional thriller that highlighted semi final action in the Saskatoon High School Soccer Playoffs.

The Marauders certainly have some people shaking their heads.  They ae the epitome of what makes sport and high school sports in particular so intriguing.  It is why you play the game.  Regardless of the matchup, any team on any given day can make believers out of non-believers.  The Marauders might have gone missing on the radar of some soccer people around the league and in their own school, but that has suddenly changed.  The athletic apparel purchase department at Murray even mistakenly overlooked the squad in their fall line in 2008.  The team has been using borrowed soccer community jerseys all season. Like the comedian Rodney Dangerfield routine, these guys "get no respect"  Led by rookie coach Eric Rowley, this cast of relatively unknown characters, unheralded players, and so it seems under respected, under rated and under appreciated squad, have found their way to the City Championship Game.  They are in some ways a reflection of their coach, solid character, friendly, dignified and unassuming, solid ambassadors of their sport and their school and in every way a team.  You can now add soccer successes to their resume and  there is no denying they have earned an opportunity for a City Cha...

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 ...