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Two
Tulis teams, the 1991 & 1992 boys, returned in August to Canada
from St. Andrew's, Scotland, and Aberystwyth, Wales with two first
place wins, one second place win, and a continued reputation for
excellence playing soccer overseas.
The
St. Andrews International Football Festival took place on the
grounds of St. Andrews University in Scotland from July 18th -
23, 2004. The tournament drew select teams from around the world
as well as select local squads, including Scottish Premier League
Dundee United's youth development team.
The
Tulis 1991 team won second place in their division, losing a hard
fought final match against Dundee United 3-1. "It was good to
be able to make it into the final, especially against a club like
Dundee," said Michael Ainge, who was the 1991 team manager. "They
bring their children in from a very young age and keep them in
the organization until they're professional age." The 1992's went
on to take their division trophy with a 2-1 win over a physically
tough Hutchinson Vale team in the final. The Hutchinson Vale team,
who had just recently captured the 1st place title for their age
group in the Scottish Cup Tournament, had met with the Tulis team
in the first round of play and had also come away on the short
end of a very hard fought 2-1 game. "They were a fantastic team,"
says Tulis. "This was a huge victory for my '92 boys!"
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THE
U-12 & U-13 TULIS BOYS RETURNED TO CANADA WITH TWO FIRST PLACE
WINS, ONE SECOND PLACE WIN, AND A CONTINUED REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE
PLAYING SOCCER OVERSEAS
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In
exhibition play, the 1992 team played an exciting game against
the Dundee United squad and held them to an incredible nil-nil
draw, and the 1991's beat Dundee United 1-0. The 1992 squad also
met up with Dundee FC and came away with a 2-0 victory.
The
boys then travelled to the west coast of Wales to participate
in the very well known Wales International Soccer / Ian Rush Trophy
Tournament where back in 1998 Tulis' U-16 and U-13 boys came away
with 1st Place trophies and a Tournament MVP award, U-16 Best
Goal-Scorer Award, and the U-13 MVP Award. This year's tournament
brought showcase teams from North America, Fiji, Scotland, Wales,
England, Norway and Australia.
The
boys then travelled to the west coast of Wales to participate
in the very well known Wales International Soccer / Ian Rush Trophy
Tournament where back in 1998 Tulis' U-16 and U-13 boys came away
with 1st Place trophies and a Tournament MVP award, U-16 Best
Goal-Scorer Award, and the U-13 MVP Award. This year's tournament
brought showcase teams from North America, Fiji, Scotland, Wales,
England, Norway and Australia.
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Between
them, the two teams played a total of 30 games in 12 days with
an overall record of 20 wins, 6 losses, and 4 ties. "These kids
all play for different leagues around the (Lower Mainland), but
having lived together for two weeks, they gelled quite well,"
said Ainge.
"The competition was very intense and it was nice to see the Canadian
teams go over there, handle themselves, and beat the top teams
out there." Ainge goes on to say that, "(The boys) really came
up a level playing against these teams.
They had to play under pressure with not a lot of time to think
- they all really came up a notch! It was beneficial for them
to play over there. It helps them grow not just as players, but
also as people, and they get to interact with each other at a
very high level."
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