Sandpoint Strikers 2014 Red Boys finish out another undefeated season
Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
The Sandpoint Strikers 2014 Red Boys club soccer team shows off the medals they earned at the Glacier Surf Premier Cup, which was held Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 in the Greater Kalispell Area. Back row, from left, are assistant coach Kelly Balch, Dennis Mcleish IV, Jonah Baroni, Michael Balch, Anders Budensiek, Elijah Kellogg, Eric Jansson, Wade McCoy, Collin Murray and head coach JP Cardin. Front row, from left are Jack Balch, Kyren Nguyen, Summit Albright, Finnley Stebbins, Miles Cardin and Easton Chartrey.
(Courtesy Photo)
The Sandpoint Strikers 2014 Red Boys club soccer team recently completed their third consecutive undefeated season, finishing out the fall at 8-0 in the Eastern Washington Select League, which operates under the umbrella of the Washington Premier League (WPL).
“This is such a great group of boys that have played together for several years now, and it really shows on the field," coach JP Cardin said. "They work hard, train hard, and truly trust the process and their teammates. It has been super fun to watch them grow as players and watch the quality of soccer continue to improve."
Competing in the 12U Division I league, which consisted of seven teams, the boys put together a 21-point goal differential of 31-10 and posted two shutouts. In addition to their dominant play in the WPL, the team also garnered two second-place finishes and a first-place finish in tournament play while participating in the Pend Oreille Cup in Sandpoint, at the Empire Cup Classic in Spokane, and at the Glacier Surf Premier Cup in the Greater Kalispell Area.
After a long season, starting with games in August at over 100 degrees and finishing last week with weather of 48 degrees and raining, the boys finished with an overall record of 17-2-1 across all their league and tournament games.
Coach Cardin said it's always fun to hear people at tournaments from much larger communities say, "you have to watch out for that Sandpoint team.” He's excited to continue coaching the team in the spring, where he hopes his boys will continue to build on what they have developed — but until then, it's ski season.
“Sandpoint is such a great soccer community," Cardin added. "The talent that comes out of this little town, from this Strikers club all the way up through our high school teams, continues to impress me."
Many of the boys will continue to train with the Strikers indoor program over the winter while also competing on the same Schweitzer Alpine Race School (SARS) ski race team.