Two teams marched away from the Esler Sports Complex with their heads held high.
The others, while leaving nothing to be ashamed of on the pitch, gave it their all in the blazing heat Saturday as both the men’s and women’s Williams Lake soccer league championships were played.
On the men’s side it was United Carpet taking on Windsor Plywood with Windsor pulling off a tightly-contested 2-1 victory.
For the ladies it was Windsor Plywood defeating Beamac 4-1 to win the title.
The men’s final saw frantic action at both ends of the field early; however, it wasn’t until Darko Ognjanov got his head on a long cross from the corner to find the twine that Windsor would take an early 1-0 lead.
United Carpet wasn’t about to let up, though, as Ryan Carter fought through a sea of Windsor-red jerseys in front of the net to bury a shot past the Windsor keeper to tie it up at 1-1.
In the second half Ognjanov would be at it again, scoring his second of the afternoon in almost identical fashion to his first goal.
This time, however, it was a corner kick Ognjanov would take advantage of, sending the game-winning goal into the back of the net.
“We had good passing and we did a good job of playing to the outside,” Ognjanov said following the win.
For the ladies final, Ashley Callendar opened the scoring for Windsor Plywood potting two goals early, before Beamac’s Kelsey Smith would put her team within striking distance.
In the second half, however, Vanessa Hansen added two more for Windsor as her squad took a 4-1 win.
Playoff MVPs for the ladies were Callander (Windsor) and Kelsey Smith (Beamac).
Following the afternoon’s finals both men’s and women’s leagues converged in the evening at the Overlander Hotel for an awards banquet.
The award winners for both the leagues are as follows:
Ladies’ Award Winners
Forward nominees
Beamac: Meagan Cook, Caribou Ski: Michelle Thamerus, New World: Haylie Schultz, Windsor: Vanessa Hansen
Winner: Vanessa Hansen (Windsor).
Mid Field nominees
Beamac: Sara Fulton , Caribou Ski: Linda Smith, New World: Andrea Gustafson, Windsor: Lindsay Thiessen
Winner: Lindsay Thiessen (Windsor)
Defense nominees
Beamac: Niki Siddal, Caribou Ski: Sandee Davis, New World: Monica Sutherland, Windsor; Norma Macdonald
Winner: Niki Siddall (Beamac)
Goalie nominees
Beamac; Regan Ernst, Caribou Ski; Shannon Trott, New World; Kyla Benisch, Windsor; Caitlin Day
Winner: Kyla Benisch (New World)
Most Sportsmanlike nominees
Beamac; Angela Hay-Vicars, Caribou Ski: Christine Braun, New World, Andrea Gustafson, Windsor; Amanda Downing
Winner: Andrea Gustafson (New World)
Most Valuable and Inspirational nominees
Beamac: Kylee Gill, Caribou Ski; Linda Smith, New World; Andrea Gustafson, Windsor; Lindsay Thiessen
Winner: Linda Smith (Caribou Ski)
Most Improved nominees
Beamac: Stephanie McLeod, Caribou Ski; Helen Haig- Brown, New World; Courtney Strom, Windsor; Amanda Downing
Winner: Helen Haig-Brown (Caribou Ski)
Fran Fulton Award nominees (overall dedication to their team)
Beamac: Regan Ernst, Caribou Ski: Linda Smith, New World: Andrea Gustafson, Windsor: Norma Macdonald
Winner: Norma Macdonald (Windsor)
Bob Rogerson Memorial Award nominees (player 35+ dedicated to soccer as a whole)
Beamac: Malinda Gill, New World; Cheryl Chan, Windsor: Norma Macdonald
Winner: Norma Macdonald ( Windsor)
Men’s Award Winners
Playoff and League Champions: Windsor Plywood
Playoff MVP: Luke Moger
League MVP: Brad Thiessen
Top Goalie: Andrew Sandberg
Top Defenseman: Ian Neels
Top Midfielder: Mike Holm
Top Forward: Darko Ognjanov
Top Oldtimer: Kevin Woodward
Most Sportsmanlike: George Fraser
League Builder Award: Daryl Taylor
Russ Lund Memorial Award: Graham Fulton.