Team Canada celebrates July 1 with win over World squad

After giving up two leads and trailing in penalty kicks, Team Canada was able to get the close 3-2 win over the World squad in this year's Canada Day Canada versus the World Soccer Game.

After giving up two leads and trailing in penalty kicks, Team Canada was able to get the close 3-2 win over the World squad in this year’s Canada Day Canada versus the World Soccer Game.

This was the first Canada Day soccer game between the two sides in about four years and it featured a number of different highlights, including a goal with less than one minute remaining in the game for Team World to force extra time.

Organizers and players are hoping to re-establish the series as an annual event that would be held in Whitehorse every July 1 at the F.H. Collins Secondary School field.

“I have been a part of some really good Canada Day games and on particularly nice days we have had lots of people out to watch,” said Jake Hanson, an organizer for the event.

“The biggest thing is to increase the visibility of the game played at a high level, as high of level as we can promote here in town.”

There was no shortage of excitement between the two evenly matched teams on Tuesday. The contest featured a number of scoring chances for both teams.

Tuesday’s game needed two 45 minute quarters, 10 minutes of extra time and penalty kicks to determine a winner. Officials from the Senior Metro League were also present at the event.

Both teams were made up of an invitational roster and had 12 to 15 players on each squad. All of the players were from Whitehorse and were divided into groups of players who were born in Canada and participants who were born outside of Canada. The age range was 17 to 52.

No prizes, trophies or medals were awarded at the Canada Day game and players took part for the enjoyment and love of the game.

Before the game, some of the players on the Canadian team did their best to stay warm in the cool and windy conditions, by forming a circle and passing the ball back and forth to each other.

Canada got off to a great start in the contest. The team had its first scoring chance early on, after a shot deflected off the finger tips of the World goalie, hitting the cross bar before going out of bounds.

After a few more nice saves, Canada finally managed to put one by the World goaltender. The shot ended up deflecting in off the back of one of the Canadian players. The score ended 1-0 at the halfway mark.

In the second end, the World team got itself right back into the contest, scoring on a free kick. The shot wasn’t particularly hard, but it was perfectly placed, finding the top right-hand corner of the net.

A Canadian header after a corner kick restored their one goal advantage, but once again the World refused to give up and scored with just under a minute remaining in the game. The goal was notched on a nice rush where the World player ran past the Canadian defender and put the ball in the bottom left-hand side of the net.

Players on both teams wanted extra time and after a brief discussion it was decided that they would keep playing.

Team World had the best chance in extra time, but just missed the top left corner of the net. With nothing settled in extra time, they went to penalty kicks.

Canada had first kick, but ended up deflecting the ball off the cross bar and out, giving the World team a chance to take the lead. The World squad didn’t make any mistake putting the ball into the back of the net.

“This is Canada Day, not World Day,” some of the players on Team Canada joked after the goal was scored.

The next Canadian player changed tactics, firing a low shot into the left-hand side of the net to even the contest up at 1-1.

With the score 2-2, the World team missed its third shot, Canada was able to take the lead.

Harrison Kwok, 21, scored the winning goal for Canada after their goaltender was able to get his body in front of the final World shot. Kwok went low, placing the ball perfectly in the left side of the net.

Kwok said it was a lot of fun playing in the game.

“I’ve taken part in it two or three times now and it’s always a blast,” he said. “It’s always fun every year.”

Kwok’s strategy was to kick the ball as close to the post as possible to the side of the net, so that even if the goalie dove for it, he would still have a hard time keeping it out. He was able to place it in the exact spot he hoped for.

Kwok said it felt amazing to win the game.

“It’s time to celebrate Canada Day now and it’s always good to win.”