It was all wins for Ponoka’s soccer scene last week, when all teams that took to the pitch finished with convincing victories, from men’s team to U14 boys.
In the Battle River League men’s fixture, Ponoka’s Storm returned from Wetaskiwin on Sunday, May 8 with a 5-1 win over Pylons under their belt. Eric Ehscheid scored four of the five goals and Thomas Hefti undersigned the other. The Storm have a bye this week and will host the newly assembled Stettler men’s team on Monday, May 23 at 6 p.m. at the new Lucas Heights field.
In the UI8 category, both Ponoka teams displayed impressive performances and got solid results. On Monday, May 2, the boys hosted Sylvan Lake in a game that turned out to be an easy walk against a mixed team, which included players of both genders. Ponoka players scored almost at will, finishing the first half with a score of 9-0 and became a little complacent in the second and took it easy and conceded two goals while scoring their last three. Those who put their names on the score sheet included Jarret Henderson (4), Lewis McDowell (3), Josh Parent (2) and Alex Mercer, Sean Rowland and Rian van der Westhuizen one each. On the female side, Ponoka hosted Stettler on Wednesday, May 4 and sent the visitors home without a single point, winning the game by a score of 4-0. Jamie Smith scored twice, Jamie Vanderbrink added one and the tally was completed by Emma Bendera, who was called up from the U16 girls’ team for the game. “We needed another body,” explained Ponoka coach Lonny behm.
In the U14 boys’ affair, the visiting Sylvan Lake again fielded a mixed team of boys and girls and they failed to put up any serious challenge to the enthusiastic Ponoka boys, who scored easily in the first 30 minutes of the game, but then slowed down a little before raising the tempo again towards the end. Ponoka boys won 8-2. Scorers for the Ponoka side were Niklas Schlak (3), Jace Van Scheik (2), Connor Stiles, Jan Harm Bakker and Bryce Scott one each.