Gabriel Costa – Loveland, Colorado … Topping off a successful season, the boys’ soccer team at Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, made it to the championship game at Union Adventist University’s (UAU) Fall Tournament, October 16-20, for the first time in five years. In the end, they lost against Sunnydale Academy (SA) from Centralia, Missouri, after the closely contested game went to penalty kicks, taking second place overall.
On the first day of the tournament, October 16, Campion won their game 4-0 against College View Academy (CVA) from Lincoln, Nebraska, with 2 goals from CA team captain Brayden Marroquin, one from CA player Philemon Amisi, and one from CA player Daniel Lopes. However, in the second game of the day, they were beaten 4-0 by Andrews Academy (AA) from Berrien Springs, Michigan, the reigning tournament champions.
On the second day, Campion was placed against the same opponents and needed to win both games to reach the final. Campion won 2-1 against CVA in the morning and was able to turn the tide against AA’s strong team, beating them 1-0. Gabriel Costa, the CA team’s striker, scored all the goals in both games.
Costa said, “We were upset that we had lost to Andrews [Academy], but we came together for a team meeting and encouraged each other. We arrived on the second day with our heads up and motivated to win. It was great that I scored the goals, but what made me most happy was how the team was able to deal with the defeat and improve.”
The final game against Sunnydale Academy on October 19 was a difficult and thrilling game. Both teams fought hard, ending the time in a draw, 1-1. After 10 minutes of extra time and no goals, the game was decided by penalty kicks. Both teams scored their first three penalty kicks, but Campion lost the fourth goal, so the game ended with Campion down 4-5.
Marroquin reflected, “The best moment of the game was when we equalized the game with seven minutes to go in the second half. When our team got a free kick from a foul, Davi crossed the ball into the box, Bruno headed the ball back, opening the way for Gabriel to score.”
Marroquin was selected as the Most Valuable Player of Campion’s soccer team. “The final game was full of stress, but I was confident that my team was going to play their hearts out,” Marroquin furthered. “The best part for me was the teamwork we put in. I’m proud of the team for giving it all they had.”
—Gabriel Costa, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.
