Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

STRETCHING OUT – 91 Grizzlies ’keeper Tyler Pumphrey, left, and teammate Jake Hanson, centre, combine to make a save against Raw Dogs FC player Travis Olynyk Sunday.

Insomnia soccer tournament decided in shootout

When the game was on the line, 91 Grizzlies ’keeper Tyler Pumphrey stood tall.

By Marcel Vander Wier on December 23, 2015

When the game was on the line, 91 Grizzlies ’keeper Tyler Pumphrey stood tall.

Pumphrey stopped four of five Raw Dogs FC shooters in post-game penalty kicks to lead his team to the 2015 Insomnia Tournament title Sunday at Vanier Catholic Secondary School.

In turn, Raw Dogs ’keeper Theo Richards allowed two goals on four shots and was saddled with the 5-4 loss.

Pumphrey appeared injured after allowing a goal to tournament high scorer Kyle Risby, but re-entered the net to make one more save.

“I rolled my ankle and landed on it ... there’s a little bit of a sprain,” Pumphrey said of his shootout heroics. “But there was just one more shot to go, so I had to.

“We didn’t look past anyone,” he said of the teams involved. “I think everyone’s pretty even-keel across the whole board. I didn’t feel like we were a favourite.”

The win was a relief for the Grizzlies, who have vied for the title for years, albeit unsuccessfully.

The Grizzlies battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, knotting things up just after half.

The Raw Dogs took two more leads late, but twice the Grizzlies matched them. A five-minute overtime period was scoreless.

Logan Potter scored twice to lead the Grizzlies charge, while Walker Ewing and Michael Abbott added singles.

Raw Dogs goals came from Curtis Hills, Travis Olynyk and Risby, who led the tournament with 10 goals.

The Raw Dogs also played with only one substitute in Sunday’s final, while the Grizzlies had four.

“Our legs were pretty heavy,” Risby admitted. “We had two guys drop out with injury. But it was a blast. We were here to have fun and enjoy ourselves and it was nice to play some competitive games.”

A crowd of 100-plus applauded both teams for their fine play after regular time and extra time.

Grizzlies captain Steven Dynes was named tournament MVP, while Chilkoot Chiropractic’s Jonathan Hawkins was named most sportsmanlike player.

Meanwhile, the women’s final was decided in less dramatic fashion.

Sarah’s Sweet Six shut out the Wildcats 2-0 on goals by birthday girl Malorie Hanson and captain Jamie McLeish.

Goalie Isabel Magsucang earned the clean sheet.

New 16-year-old Hanson said the victory was “pretty cool.”

“It was really fun to play in this tournament,” she said. “It was my first time.”

She also noted her team has been playing futsal in preparation for Greenland, a possession game that translated well to the four-on-four tournament.

The squad, comprised mainly of members of the 2016 Arctic Winter Games team, took down Santa’s Strikers and Victorious Secret to earn a berth in the final.

“We lost our first game of the tournament,” McLeish noted post-game. “After that, we decided we wanted to win.”

Charly’s Angels striker Megan Lanigan was the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, while Wildcats star Lara Herry St-Onge was named MVP.

Emily Hoefs of Victorious Secret earned most sportsmanlike player.

The three-day soccer tournament is an annual holiday tradition of the Senior Metro League, featuring both male and female divisions.

Last weekend’s event featured eight teams in each division, with games consisting of two 20-minute halves bridged by a brief intermission.

Tonight, Yukon’s top soccer stars will be in the spotlight again at the Yukon Selects Christmas Showcase at the Canada Games Centre.

A women’s game at 6:15 p.m. will be followed by a men’s game at 7:30.

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