Gunnison teams dominate Battle for Kathy Joyce

Youth and experience make for potent mix

For the third year in a row, soccer enthusiasts from throughout the valley came out of the woodwork to participate in the Stephen Gardner Memorial Indoor Soccer Invitational.
This year’s event was a fundraiser for Kathy Joyce, who is in the midst of an epic battle with cancer and calls herself a “current survivor” of the affliction.
And in true Gunnison Valley fashion, players new and old were on hand to help out as well as battle for the prestigious title.
Fifteen teams signed up including a strong contingent from the Gunnison area, with four teams making the trip as well as a handful of former Crested Butte all-stars, most notably Scott Moss and Matt Nilson. It’s been years since those two have been witnessed on any pitch but they made it obvious they still have some magic left with deft play from both in the early games of the tournament.
Speaking of the early games of the tournament, one “never-has-been” made his presence known, lighting it up in his first game of the day, scoring three goals in 30 seconds only to never be heard from again.
Once the initial pool play was done four of the eight teams in the playoff round were from Gunnison, including the two-time defending champions.
But the talk of the day mostly surrounded a team by the name of The Twins. The Twins were that potent mix of youth and experience with the 15-year-old Navarrete twins of Alan and Moises, their father Marcos and family friend Juan Marmolejo. The young Navarrete boys were a human highlight film all day long displaying a soft touch and telepathic playmaking, while their elder teammates served as anchors on both offense and defense.
Team Jump for Joyce with Drew Canale, Grant McFarren, Mollye Erickson, Laura Yale, Brian Seth Tucker and Jeremy Rubingh looked to defend the north end of the valley but were shown the door before they could reach the finals.
The Shifty Lifties—comprised of Andrew Butterfield, Dan Gen, CJ Meyer, David Meyer and Shea Wilson—also proved resilient in pool play but suffered an early exit from the playoff round as well.
Following the quarterfinals, it became apparent the title would once again go to Gunnison hands as the defending champion team led by Cole Brittain and Matt Smith returned to the finals to face The Twins.
This time though, a new champion would be crowned as The Twins worked their magic one last time to edge out the win and take the Battle for Kathy Joyce title.
Friends of Kathy Joyce and soccer tournament participants closed the day at the Brick Oven for drinks and good times as the sky opened up with fat flakes of impending pow. When all was said and done, money was raised, smiles were had and stories were shared with the hope of turning Kathy toward the path of recovery.