PYSA prez wants boost from bronze 0
By Dan Falloon, Portage Daily Graphic
Portage Youth Soccer Association president Ken Wettlaufer hopes to see the sport kickstarted by a bronze medal by the national women`s team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. (Mike Ridewood/Canadian Olympic Committee)
The president of the Portage Youth Soccer Association was ecstatic to see the Canadian national women's team medal in London.
Ken Wettlaufer hopes that Canada's Olympic bronze medal, earned via a 1-0 win over France on Thursday, is the start of a trend of solid international showings by those clad in the maple leaf.
"It's definitely a good thing for soccer in Canada," said Wettlaufer. "I really think that the sport needs a kick-start all the way across, as far as the women and the men."
After the Canadians had been pressured by the French all game, Diana Matheson scored in the 91st minute to give Canada the improbable win, the country's first medal in a team sport at the Summer Games since 1936.
The bronze-medal victory comes after a controversial 4-3 loss to the Americans on Monday, after some of the official's calls went against Canada to turn a late 3-2 lead and berth in the gold-medal game into a defeat, leaving the team resigned to playing for third.
Wettlaufer said it was impressive for the team to bounce back after the initial heartbreak.
"They definitely left everything out there," said Wettlaufer. "It was good to see them win the bronze."
Wettlaufer said while those excited locally about the medal were also following other sports at the Olympics, he hopes there will be a surge of interest in the sport here in town.
Recently, numbers of young people playing soccer have stagnated.
For more, please see Friday`s edition of the Portage Daily Graphic.
dan.falloon@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: PDGdfalloon
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