For the week of July 2 - 8, 2003

Shootouts are Lefty’s fate in Utah

Men settle for 2-1 record at Park City

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By JODY ZARKOS
Express Staff Writer

Scores were closer than a couple in a twin bed when Harry O’s Bar of Park City staged a highly-competitive soccer tourney last weekend.

The annual Park City soccer fest attracted 24 teams to Utah—16 men’s and eight women’s—and they played some top-drawer footy.

The Lefty’s Bar & Grill men’s team from Ketchum played three games and twice went to penalty kicks to decide the outcome.

Despite the 2-1 Lefty’s record in Utah, captain Kurt Funkhouser thinks the team is capable of playing better.

"I give our team a ‘B’ based on we still haven’t reached our potential. We got better as the tournament wore on, but we are better than we showed," he said.

Lefty’s first opponent in its pool of four was Pepis of Vail, Colo.

The game ended in a scoreless tie and the teams went to penalty kicks in which Ketchum prevailed 4-3 on scores by Stevie Fostvedt, John Gerdis, Funkhouser (who had to make two shots because he was not wearing his shin guards for the first one), and Dom Conti.

Ketchum goalie Olin Glenne made two fine saves to help put Lefty’s on top.

Round Two was against Xcel of Park City. Ketchum came back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to tie the match 2-2 and send it to penalty kicks. Ketchum might have won it, but two goals were called back on offsides.

Regulation goals for Lefty‘s were twined by Will Meinrich and Dom Conti from Rob Butterfield.

After the round of five kickers, in which Fostvedt, Gerdis, Funkhouser and Glenne scored, the format went to sudden-death kicks in which each team gets one shot.

Xcel, the eventual tourney runner-up, converted its first shot and its keeper made the necessary save on the ensuing pk to top Ketchum 3-2.

The loss left Ketchum’s destiny in the hands of other teams as far as advancing to the semi-finals.

What Lefty’s could do to help itself in the tiebreaker format was to win Sunday’s game against Forest of Salt Lake by at least a 3-0 score.

The plan was going beautifully in the first half. Lefty’s was sporting a 4-0 lead on goals by Conti, Meinrich, Funkhouser and John Campbell.

Things went astray when Forest was awarded a penalty kick for a takedown that happened outside the box.

Glenne informed the referee that the free kick should be taken outside the 18-yard line, and was given a yellow card for his observation. After Forest converted the pk, Glenne returned the ball in the ref’s general direction, and was red-carded and thrown out.

Luke Fostvedt filled in for Glenne in the goal, but Lefty’s played a man down for the rest of the game. Not that it mattered. Ketchum won 4-2, but did not amass enough points to move on in the tourney format.

The championship was won by International of Salt Lake 1-0 over Xcel. It was Salt Lake’s third tourney title in five years.

Lefty’s returns to the pitch on July 26-27 at Jackson Hole and hosts their annual tournament in Ketchum in August.

Funkhouser likes his team’s chances in both tilts.

"We have a nice mix of young and veteran players. I expect us to do really well," he said.

Also making the trip to Park City were Greg Gvozdas, Graham Watanabe, Quinn Orb, Sean Kelly, Chatham Baker, Josh Stanek, Nick Hanscom, Steve Walker, Mike Stevens, Troy Ruckman, Eric McCormack and Josh Sonneland.

 

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