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While not as dominating as in past years, Alves Bros. FC still capped the 2016 season in the Kelowna Men’ Soccer League with a fifth straight Royal Cup triumph on Sunday.
Alves (14-4-2), finishing second to the Modern Furniture Pikeys (16-4) in the Division 1 regular season and dropping a 4-3 decision to the same team in the KMSL playoff final, made amends with a 4-1 victory in the Royal Cup title match at Mission Sportfields.
The veteran Alves crew got the quick start they were looking for, scoring at the five-minute mark on a Pikeys miscue deep in their own end. Sean Murphy was the recipient of an errant pass and beat a helpless Jason Lukkarinen from about 20 yards out.
The eventual winners went up by two about 10 minutes later when Jordan Hesketh slotted in a rebound off a shot by veteran Morgan Marrs.
Pikeys had an excellent opportunity to cut the lead in half with about five minutes remaining in the opening frame, but Alves goalkeeper Spencer Brown came through with an exceptional save on a breakaway by Corey Wallis.
Early pressure in the second half paid off for Pikeys as Wallis cut the Alves scoring what would be their only goal while his team came close to pulling into a tie when Dan Hunt narrowly missed a free kick attempt.
While Pikeys held the territorial edge for most of the second half, Alves added an insurance goal when James Byra headed in a superbly swung free kick past Lukkarinen.
Hesketh closed out the scoring for the winners of the 104-year-old Royal Cup with 10 minutes remaining.
The Royal Cup tournament involved 30 teams in the KMSL, while Div. 1 Alves didn’t play their first game until the third round on July 17. They opened with a 7-0 win over Div. 2 Dortmund; defeated the Div. 1 Carleton Athletics 3-0 in their second Royal Cup match; and earned a berth in the final by downing the Div. 1 Okanagan Huskies 3-0 in semifinal play.
Over 35 Playoff Champions
Division 3B Champions
Divison 3A Champions
Division 2 Champions
Division 1 Champions
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