As families gathered for the holiday season and many sports took a pause, it didn’t stop soccer from continuing at the Canada Games Centre. The Whitehorse Rapids Over-35 soccer league didn’t skip a beat with doubleheader games both Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 to close out the year.

Goal fest continues for KBS

After a scoring bonanza in their previous game, Klondike Business Solutions showed no signs of easing off the gas as they outgunned Yukon Info.com 10-7 in Rapids soccer action Dec. 23 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Both teams decided that trying to outscore the opposition was the best policy in their quest to win and so the floodgates opened with a combined total of 17 goals in the game.

Defensive frailties were cracked open as Danny Macdonald (3), Adil Khalik (2), James McCullough (2), John MacPhail, Keith Welch and Andy Todd all scored for KBS.

Ben Mercier had four goals to lead the response for Yukon Info helped by skipper Jan Aalt van den Hoorn (2) and a goal from the mercurial Rob Bousquet, but it was not enough as KBS earned the three points.

Pepsi edges out tight game

The late game had fewer goals but no less tension in a very even affair – it took a mistake and a moment of brilliance to separate Pepsi and Yukon Brewing.

The mistake came when the Brewing defence coughed up the ball when they should have cleared it, allowing the deadly Guliano Rayo to score.

The moment of brilliance came from Simon Pulido, when he cracked in a goal from outside of the area that flew into the bottom corner, making it arguably the best goal of the season so far.

Yukon Brewing tried hard to score but Pepsi was too good and closed the defence down to take a 2-0 shutout win.

Tony’s and Pepsi warm the hearts

In a pulsating early morning Over-35 soccer match-up Dec. 30 between Tony’s Pizza and Pepsi, the high-spirited game ended in a 4-4 tie.

Both teams gave everything, leaving nothing in the locker room with perhaps the draw being the fair outcome.

Pepsi opened the scoring through Myles Dolphin with only a minute on the clock, before Tony’s got into a rhythm leading three times. But a dogged Pepsi showed great heart in pulling back level every time.

Justin Carre, playing a more calculated game, scored one and opened the field up for David Rayo to claim two strikes.

Goal machine Arnold Hedstrom picked up another goal for Tony’s.

Pepsi’s other goals came from Bob Baxter, Guliano Rayo and Krisztian Goncze, thus resigning the pizza boys to their fifth tie of the season and second straight.

Soccer is like a box of chocolates

The game between Yukon Brewing and Yukon Info.com had everything you want from a soccer game. There was a sending off, a saved penalty, some very good goals and a Rob Bousquet header.

The game was played at a frantic pace despite the indulgence of Christmas, none more so than Gord Barker who has been keeping Yukon Brewing in business over the holidays, but played with heart and endeavour urging his team forward.

The Brew’s goals came from Andy Todd, Mark O’Brien and Simon Pulido, with Bousquet and a wonder goal from Gareth Howells on the score sheet for Yukon Info.

In the end, Yukon Brewing eked out the victory 2-1 for their second win of the season, both over Yukon Info.

They now sit only one point behind Yukon Info in the league standings at the bottom of the table.

Yukon Brewing will now take on KBS who have not lost in their last five outings. Tony’s Pizza will face Yukon Info in the early game Jan. 13.

- By Andy Todd