The Kootenay South Youth Soccer Associations U12 boys soccer team struck gold at a tournament in Idaho last weekend.
About 1,800 players from U9 to U15 descended on Sandpoint for the epic 31st annual Pend d’Oreille Cup soccer tournament.
But it was the KSYSA Warriors made up of players from Fruitvale, Trail, Warfield, Rossland and Castlegar who ruled the day in boys U12.
The team swept all four games, winning a final game thriller against the Coeur d’Alene Sting to take home the championship trophy Sunday.
The Warriors led the game 2-1 heading into the final minutes, but a Coeur d’Alene striker raced down the pitch and lifted a perfect shot into the top corner to tie it and force a shootout.
The West Kootenay boys fell behind in the shootout but counted its last two goals, while Coeur d’Alene was stymied on its final two attempts by Warrior goalie Keenan Crossman, to claim a 3-2 victory.
The team opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over the Missoula Strikers before downing the Sting in the round robin 2-1. The Warriors then shut out the home team Sandpoint Strikers in a hard fought 1-0 win to advance to the final. See photo Page 10.