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Indoor soccer team represents Fernie in U.S.

Fernie FC travelled to Kalispell for the second annaul 406 Soccer Cup from April 13-14
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Fernie FC. Submitted

A Fernie indoor soccer team has finished the season on a high after a convincing win over an undefeated team in the U.S. last month.

Ten players travelled to Kalispell for the second annual 406 Soccer Cup at the Flathead County Fairground from April 13-14.

The local side – consisting of Canadians, British and Australians – played a total of five games against a mixture of U.S. teams over the tournament.

After a promising start Saturday with a 7-7 draw, the Fernie team lost games two and three, pitching them against the top team in the other group in a knockout round Sunday.

It proved to be their best performance of the tournament and they captured a convincing 7-3 win over the previously undefeated team, securing their place in the semi-final later that day.

Fernie captain Mark Vale said the team entered the tournament unsure what to expect.

“It was quickly obvious that the teams we would be playing were serious teams,” he said. “In Fernie, we have a friendly kick about once a week, we felt a little bit out of our depth.

“Individually, we had a really good team that could match some of the top teams but we lacked the experience as a team playing futsal.”

However, the Fernie team continued to improve with each game.

“The results on the first day didn’t reflect this but as a team we could see it all coming together, our ability to put the ball in the goal was our biggest issue,” said Vale.

“The Saturday was a training day for us. On the Sunday morning, everything came together, we were even scoring goals for fun and we comfortably beat the top team from the other group.

“This gave us a positive lift for the semi-final, which, on a different day we could have won, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

The team now trains outdoors every Wednesday.

Anyone is welcome to join, see the Fernie FC Facebook group for more information.