By Scott Roblin

RASC teams meet for gold at home Winter Classic tournament

Jan 21, 2018 | 8:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – While it’s rare that a local soccer team has a shot at winning their home tournament, it’s even more rare to see two teams from the same city meeting in the finals.

That was exactly the case at the Family Leisure Centre on Sunday afternoon, with two Medicine Hat-based clubs meeting with a gold medal on the line at the 2018 Medicine Hat Soccer Association Winter Classic.

Fifteen teams from across southern Alberta participated in the three-tiered tournament, with the RASC U14 and U16 Rattlers meeting up in the U16 division finals.

It was a fairly tight opening half with the U16 squad leading 3-1 at the break, but the veteran presence of the senior club stepped up in the second half.

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The U16 team scored four times over the last 25 minutes to pick up a 7-3 victory and a gold medal win.

Midfielder Ethan Pitman found the back of the net in the championship game and said the team was able to find each other well throughout the afternoon.

“Communication was key,” said Pitman. “We were all really good on the ball, passing lots. We need lots of movement off and on the ball, so it was all hard work on and off.”

Following the match, the two squads took pictures together and celebrated with family on the field.

U16 midfielder and gold medallist Wyatt Davis said it was a special opportunity getting to play against a team from the same club.

“It’s really cool because they’re a good calibre and they’re pretty close to ours,” said Davis. “So, it was a pretty tough match for this tournament.”

Another RASC U14 team also walked away from their home tournament with a medal, winning bronze on Sunday in the U14 tournament.

The gold medal match was a tightly contested one, with the Airdrie Aztecs pulling off a 3-2 victory over the Calgary-Foothills Prospects.