Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The electrical tape that was used to form numbers on the back of the Steamboat Springs soccer team had started to peel off by the end of the Keebler Cup's U-10 championship game in Denver earlier this month.

The Steamboat team, which was put together about six weeks before the tournament, had tied Grand Junction 2-2 in regulation of the recreational championship game, which was played Oct. 8.

The two teams, the only ones left in a division that included 16 different squads from around the state, battled through two overtime periods and two additional shootouts before the game was decided.

"Teams may have been a little caught off guard," Steamboat coach Tom Valicenti said.

"Assuming that Steamboat, with its electrical tape-numbered jerseys, would be unbefitting to a championship team," he said.

But Steamboat would earn the coveted title by scoring the final goal of the game off the foot of goalkeeper Matt Dawes.

After the shootouts, the final deciding factor came down to a battle of goalies. Each goalkeeper got one shot the team that scored would be crowned champion.

Dawes scored for the Steamboat team and then stopped Grand Junction from scoring to give the local U-10 team its first Keebler Cup title.

The Keebler used to be called the Pepsi Cup and is one of the state's biggest recreational tournaments as teams ranging from U-9 through U-14 come seeking titles.

In the five games the local team played, Steamboat held its opponents to just five goals.

Steamboat players included Dawes (who was the goalie for the weekend), Ryan McConnell, Charlie Smith, Blake Eddington, Josh Fix, David Yukobonis, Zach Valicenti and Derek Fritz.