The U13 Celtics hoist the Melba Jenkins Memorial Cup after defeating Saskatoon Lakewood 3-1 in the finals. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Champions at home

U13 Celtics claim Melba Jenkins Memorial Cup on home field

Nov 13, 2023 | 2:01 PM

The Prince Albert Celtics came out on top during the Melba Jenkins Memorial Cup soccer tournament this past weekend.

The U13 Girls took down Lakewood from Saskatoon 3-1 to claim the title for the second year in a row after winning last year’s Div. II championship.

Malcom Jenkins was on hand to present the trophy, and medals, to the winning team. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

This was the first tournament of the year for the team where head coach for the Celtics Cameron Du Plessis said he was proud of the girls’ effort over the weekend.

“They were really nervous because they were representing Prince Albert but as the games rolled on, they became more confident and then they started exerting themselves,” he said. “I’m really happy with the performances – the hard work on the field that they put in practices and off. I’m happy with the way they played in the tournament and they showed what P.A. soccer is about.”

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He added that a tournament win like this, especially this early in the season, will be a major confidence boost to the team as the season rolls on.

“It gives them a huge boost,” he continued. “The first tournament of the season [there’s] always a lot of nervousness because you don’t know where the other teams are at so this gives them a huge boost and an understanding of what the competition is like and what they need to improve on. You can’t put into words what winning that trophy means to them, they’re just proud to be the winners for PAYSA as well. It’s a huge boost for us to be able to win this and also set us up for the rest of the season.”

The U13 Celtics pose for a photo with their new hardware. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

The Celtics now prepare for club day on Dec. 10 while also gearing up for a couple of tournaments later in the season, including a couple in Saskatoon and maybe even one in Alberta. As of now, nothing is set in stone and no dates have been confirmed.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com