All 69 teams in the Squamish Soccerfest managed to survive the unpredictable weather on Saturday (April 16) and battle it out during the 31st annual event.
A frigid early morning that saw several participants point out it was like winter cleared up in the afternoon, giving way to more favourable conditions.
But it was the local teams that shone on Day 1 of the men's open divisions. The Quest men's team got off to a strong start defeating Bombastic 2-0 and Europa 3-2. The Kermodes sit on top of Group 1 with 16 points and set themselves up well for the second day of competition.
In Group 3 of the men's open, a revamped Khalsa squad has posted two 4-0 shutouts over Mount Currie and Coast Salish United respectively. Khalsa sits first in its group with 16 points and hope to rebound after a heartbreaking loss in the Howe Sound Men's Soccer League finals on April 10.
Warriors FC headed up the pack in Group 2, with local team the Dyer Straits in second place. The men's open teams will play one more round robin game today (Sunday, April 17) and move on to the playoffs. In Soccerfest, a regulation win gives a team eight points, a shootout win gives a team three points and teams are given points for a goal, up to a maximum of two per game.
In the ladies open divisions, Jordan's Girls led group one with 21 points after three games. In group two, SBAA Ajax captured a perfect 24 points in its first three games. The women's open teams were to play one round-robin game Sunday and then move on to the playoffs.
The men's over-30 division is comprised of three separate groups and two of three have seen teams from Kamloops dominate after Day 1. The Kamloops Pronto lead Group 1 with 16 points with Jensen Law Kamloops on top in Group 2 with 12. The third group had Corona Excavations and the Coasters tied with 15 points apiece.
The three divisions in the men's over-40 group were led by Union Securities, the Serbian White Eagles and Lusitano's, respectively. The ladies open rec division had the Westside FC Wild leading the way with 19 points after three games but still have the schedule to be played on Sunday. The ladies over-30 division saw Loma 911 leading the way with 23 points after three games and the over-40 had a three-way lock on top with the Richmond Rockets, Squamish Breakers and Metro Ford Celtics all posting a perfect 24 points in three games after Saturday's action.
Games were planned all day on Sunday at Brennan Park fields. Check back here on Sunday night for final results from the tournament.
