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Season 5 of PPM soccer began today with a home match against the 2nd year club out of Quebec, NBC Champstars. Under the serene backdrop of the Rocky Mountains Bow Valley AFC managed an easy 1-0 victory in their first game since season 1 in the second tier of Canadian soccer.

15,078 fans showed up to cheer on their team, and it seems like the bitterness that surrounded the team at the end of last season has disappeared. Even if Bow Valley isn't in the top league anymore, the fans were excited and ready for another season. The main supporter group, The Jolly Roger gang, were chanting out club songs all game. Relegation last season was a big blow for Bow Valley, but many fans have conceded to the fact that playing in the second tier will be a great benefit to the future of the team.

Today we saw the emergence of 16 year old Sammy Rupp as Bow Valley's new starting keeper. After 4 seasons of seeing all-star Fred Finlay on the pitch, it was odd to see a new face manning the net. Finlay however had nothing but praise for the young emerging star, noting the fact that Finlay knew his time as a starter was nearing an end long before Rupp's arrival to the team. "I knew I had peaked in my skill probably at the end of season 3, but really hoped that I could still be an star goalie in I.1 last season, but it wasn't meant to be. I had struggled for any clean sheets right from the get-go of last season, and manager Charlie Hollaway actually informed me of the 30 million dollar purchase for Rupp before it was finalized, out of respect for what I have done for this organization. I agreed to stay on as the back-up and mentor Rupp as he becomes a star in Canadian Soccer, and around the world, and as you can tell from his performance today, he's further along than many would have even dreamed at this point"

Victories like this are going to be a much more common theme for Bow Valley AFC this season, and everyone on the team hopes that this foray into division 2 soccer is a short stay, and if every victory is as easy as this, it most likely will be.

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