The SoDak Spurs Soccer Club has been very busy the past three weekends. The Spurs have brought home nine championships and have finished as finalists five times to start the Spring/Summer Season.
To start the outdoor season, the Spurs competed in the Yankton Kopetsky Ace Hardware Spring Invitational on April 28-30. The Spurs 2009/10 Boys, 2011 Boys and 2012 Boys all finished the weekend as champions. The 2005-07 Girls, 2008/09 Girls and 2007/08 Boys all finished as finalists.
The 2011 Boys started off the weekend with a 7-4 win over Northwest Iowa before falling to Tempo 2-3. In the semifinals on Sunday, they beat Yankton 8-2 to reach the final. The Spurs avenged their previous loss in the final, beating Tempo 5-3.
The 2009/10 Boys finished with two wins on Saturday, defeating Tempo 9-0 and Yankton 3-0. The Spurs followed this up with two more wins on Sunday, defeating Tempo 6-1 in the semifinals and Northwest Iowa 2-1 in the final. The 2009/10 Boys finished as Champions with an undefeated 4-0 record.
The 2012 Boys also finished the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record. On Saturday the boys defeated Mitchell 6-3 and Tempo 3-0. In the semifinals on Sunday, the Spurs defeated Brandon 2-1 to reach the final. In the final the Spurs defeated Norfolk FC 2-1 to finish the weekend as champions.
The following weekend the Spurs traveled to Sioux Falls for the South Dakota Youth Soccer Association State Cup Series. The Spurs had 12 teams competing in the Inaugural Prairie Cup. After a competitive weekend, the Spurs finished with the 2005/06 Boys, 2009/10 Boys and 2011 Boys as champions. The 2005-07 Girls finished as Finalists.
The 2011 Boys looked to follow up their championship in Yankton with another successful weekend in Sioux Falls. The boys started off strong with a 6-0 win over Watertown to start the weekend. This was followed by a 1-1 draw with Dakota Alliance to wrap up Saturday. On Sunday, the Spurs defeated Tempo 6-3 to reach the final. In a rematch against Dakota Alliance, the 2011 Boys won the final 6-2 to secure their second straight weekend with a championship.
The 2009/10 Boys were also looking to win two consecutive championships. The Spurs dominated the event, beating two Dakota Alliance teams 3-0 and 11-0 on Saturday. This was followed by an 11-0 win over Tempo on Sunday. In the Final, the 2009/10 Boys secured the championship with a 3-0 win over Dakota Alliance.
The 2005/06 Boys started off their weekend in Sioux Falls with a 2-1 win over Brandon, followed by a win over the Spurs 2007/08 Boys. On Sunday the Spurs defeated Tempo 4-1 to reach the final. In the Final, the 2005/06 Boys secured the Championship with a 3-1 win over Watertown, finishing the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Spurs also competed in the Ohayon Invitational in Sioux Falls on May 12-14. This event featured over 200 teams, including clubs from Canada, Wisconsin and Kansas. Unfortunately, the tournament was cancelled on Sunday due to poor weather conditions. However, the Spurs were still able to bring home a couple trophies. The 2005-07 Girls, 2009/10 Boys and 2011 Boys all finished the weekend as champions. The 2007/08 Boys finished the weekend as Finalists.
Due to the cancellation on Sunday due to weather conditions, no final matches were played. Instead, the championships were awarded to the teams with the most points accumulated through the matches that had been played.
The 2005-07 Girls finished the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record. Defeating South Dakota United 3-1, Dakota Alliance 4-3 and Tempo 6-3. With one match to play, the girls were firmly in first place and awarded the championship.
The 2009/10 Boys followed their two previous Championships with another undefeated weekend. The Spurs defeated Twin Cities Rush 1-0 and Yankton United 7-0. The two wins put the Spurs in first place and the they were awarded their third championship in three weekends.
The 2011 Boys were also looking to make it three championships in three weekends. The Boys started their weekend with a 1-0 win over Dakota Alliance and a 2-0 win over Salvo SC. On Sunday morning, the 2011 Boys defeated Tempo 8-1 to finish the weekend a perfect 3-0.
The Spurs will look to continue their successful run with upcoming events in Omaha, Chicago, Minnesota and North Dakota. They will wrap up the 2022-23 Season with the Fishback Classic in Brookings on July 14-16.
