In many ways, the Bow Valley Soccer League is the most important game in the region.
In a valley that draws staff from around the world, the league provides a level playing field for a proudly multicultural populace to play a familiar game in a land far from home.
Sunday games at the Banff Rec Grounds are the best place in Banff to hear the blend of international accents, as the league’s international flavour is second to none. No matter their background, for one day a week, players share the beautiful game.
But, like most international relations, the league has its issues. Refereeing has improved, but with one week to go, once again no one is sure who is winning.
The long-suffering Earls side appeared to lock up the league title with a 5-3 win over the Pump and Tap, which gave them a sizable lead in league standings after a near-perfect season. However, league commissioner Mayumi Yasuda said several makeup games must still be played and the title is still up for grabs.
Canmore United and Banff Springs Hotel still have a shot at the title as well, as Earls and Springs face off in their next match.
Goaltender Francois Pace, the longest serving member of Earls, said the victories have been a long time coming. When the team joined the league seven years ago, they were allowing 30 to 40 shots a game, and were frequently picked apart by highly skilled opposition. But now, the core players are more experienced, they’ve managed to add several talented support players up the middle, and the team powered up with more beer and wings, Pace said.
“We used to lose 8-0 every game. So to get to this level is pretty great,” Pace said following the win. “We’ve got a really strong midfield; in the back we’ve been good and we’re scoring goals.”
The team also lost long-time captain Chris Butler, however, Pace chuckled and refused to comment if that helped or hindered the team this season.
Against the Pump and Tap, Earls jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of skill plays from the midfield. An unlucky bounce made it 3-0, despite the Pump and Tap’s sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
The bending Earls defenders finally broke with 10 minutes left in the first half, as Pump and Tap scored twice in 20 seconds to make a game of it.
Earls skill shone through early on in the second half, as they scored with ease to regain their two-goal lead. Pump and Tap added another goal to tighten the match, but in the end Earls proved to be the better team, placing an exclamation point on the goal with an excellent cross to make it 5-3.
“If this is the league title, it feels pretty awesome,” said Pace, who added the turning point of the game came when he stopped making dumb plays in net.
“We played hard and the guys started playing the ball on the ground.”
