Gators, Fire and Velocity F.C. win city soccer championships

By TJ MAXWELL Cove Leader-Press Six weeks of battling on  the pitch culminated on Saturday with the championship  games in the 9-and-under, 12-and-under and 15-and-under coed soccer divisions of the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Youth Soccer League. Season frontrunners Velocity F.C. and Fire continued their winning ways in the 9U and 12U division championships, respectively. The undefeated 9U Velocity F.C. (8-0-2) outscored heir opponents 12-1 in the playoffs  o earn the crown, including a 4-0 shutout of the Red Rebels (6-3-1) in Saturday’s championship game.  Velocity F. C. earned their first shutout of the playoffs over the Sidekicks (1-7-1) with a 3-0 score before surrendering their only goal of the playoffs in round three in a 5-1 win over the F. C. Blue Fire (4-3-2). The 12U Fire (8-1) suffered  an early season loss to the Lighting (3-3-2) before reeling off seven-consecutive wins to earn the city crown. After receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the Fire handed the Avengers (3-5-1) a 4-1 loss before meeting another one-loss team in the championships. The Fire added the final tick mark to the win column  with a 4-1 win over the Phenomz (6-2-1) in the title game. The Gators (5-3-2), however,  rallied to upset frontrunnersTitans F. C. (5-2-1) in the  15U title game. The Titans F.C.’s only loss of the regular season also came from the Gators in a 3-1 week-one battle.The two teams also battled to a 6-6 tie in another meeting before the Titans F.C. pounded the Gators 7-1 in week three and edged them again, 2-1, in the final week of the regular season. The Gators shutout the T-Wrecks (1-6-1) in the openinground before downing the Titan F. C. 3-2 in the title game.  A cross by Caden Chapman for the assist on the goal by Haven Stevenson set the tone for the Gators early and they held on for the only upset of the playoffs. The Gators lost three straight games heading into the playoffs, but a 2-0 post-season win-streak was enough to secure the crown.