Park City (Utah) knocked off two challengers with dramatic,
one-goal triumphs and swept unbeaten to the championship of last weekends 12-team
Ketchum Classic mens soccer tournament at Atkinson Park.
After beating Boise Blast 4-3 in a round-robin clash Saturday, Park City
contained dangerous striker Dom Conti and ousted defending champ Leftys F.C. of
Ketchum 3-2 in a sudden death overtime semi-final classic Sunday morning.
Park City (4-0 overall, 17-6 goals differential) saved one final rally for
Sundays championship game, scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to
outlast F.C. Bayern of Utah 3-1 for the Ketchum title.
Tournament organizer Kurt Funkhouser of Leftys said, "Park City
deserved to win."
Leftys certainly deserved its two round-robin victories Saturday.
The local team, youthful and talented and filled with confidence after winning the Jackson
Hole tournament July 30, handled the Logan (Utah) Strokers 5-3 and dashed past The Attic
from Seattle 5-1.
Conti, a scoring threat from the left or the right, scored five of
Leftys 10 goals Saturday.
Against Logan, Leftys spotted the Strokers a 2-0 lead on a pair of
James Johnsen goals in a two-minute span midway through the first half.
Leftys midfielder Scotty Jackson converted a header at 27 minutes,
then Matt Brinker made a run through the Strokers defense and passed off to Victor
Vandenberg, who finished in the box at 33 minutes and made it 2-2 at the half.
"We were unlucky several times in the first half," said
Vandenberg. "We knew it was just a matter of time. Matt (Brinker) and Dom are so
dangerous, all I have to do is get in position. Thats what happened on the tying
goal."
Conti, sprung free along the right wing via passes from Brinker and
Jackson, scored an amazing goal two minutes into the second half. Bearing down on the
Logan keeper from the right, he had absolutely no anglebut Conti went to his left
foot and hit net for a 3-2 lead.
Simon Brading scored the fourth goal on a Vandenberg pass at 53 minutes.
After a Buddy Young direct kick brought Logan to within a goal at 4-3, Conti deked a
Stroker defender and punched the ball past the near post for his second goal and the 5-3
final.
Later Saturday, Conti scored three goals and Leftys exploded from a
1-1 halftime game for a 5-1 win over The Attic. Michael Reed set up Contis first
goal. Conti added two more after the half, while Brinker and Robin Sarchett accounted for
the other goals.
The Ketchum defense spearheaded by sweeper Dave Skillman did a good job.
Dates Fryberger and Ryan Bahoshy alertly cleared loose balls in the box to keep The Attic
scoreless after intermission, and keeper Olin Glenne did the rest.
Saturdays outcomes put Pool A winner Leftys up against Pool B
champion Park City in Sundays semi-final. Park City had breezed past Portola Valley
(Ca.) 6-1 prior to its 4-3 nailbiter over Boise Blast.
In the other two pools, F.C. Bayern won 3-0 over Fast Eddy (Utah) and 3-1
over The Rock of Utah to earn the Pool D distinction, while Pocatello won Pool C with a
2-1 triumph over Forest of Utah and 2-0 victory over Jackson Hole (Wyo.).
The Leftys-Park City meeting was a rematch of the recent semi-final
contest at Jackson Hole that Leftys barely won 4-3after building a 4-0 lead.
This time, Conti scored in the first half, and Brinkers second-half goal made it 2-1
Leftys.
But resilient Park City tied it 2-2 and won the game on a kind of
"own goal" in sudden-death overtimea long goal kick that somehow found its
way into the Ketchum net and erased the Leftys title hope.
F.C. Bayern eliminated Pocatello 4-1 in the other semi-final to set up the
all-Utah title clash. Winning Sundays consolation games were Boise Blast, Portola
Valley and Fast Eddy.
Other Leftys players included Mike Stevens, Steve Fostvedt, Randall
Usery and Scott McGrew.
The tournament was sponsored by Leftys Bar & Grill, Schoffel,
Johnny Gs Subshack and Sun Valley Insurance.