XFC wins provincial indoor soccer championship

In men's soccer indoor action, XFC Men won the Nova Scotia senior A provincial championship Sunday night with a 1-0 win over Valley United in the final played at Soccer Nova Scotia Indoor Centre in Halifax.

The XFC squad is made of up a number of X-Men soccer athletes.

James Fitzpatrick scored the lone goal of the game fifteen minutes into a tight contest when he one-timed a clever pass from Michael Tait off a free kick near the Valley penalty box. Matt Lannan was outstanding in goal earning the shutout in a game where XFC absorbed pressure for long stretches.

XFC (9-3-1) finished the regular season in second place behind Valley United (12-2-0) and advanced to the final by defeating Halifax City 4-3 on Saturday. Randy Ribeiro led the way with a hat trick while Michael Tait picked up the other goal. Matt Lannan was selected man of the match for his outstanding game making several key saves in the final minutes.

Valley advanced to the final with a 3-2 win over Dartmouth United in the other semi-final.

The championship marks the first ever Senior A provincial championship for a Highland region team and the first Senior A finals appearance since 1994 when the Antigonish Celtics lost to Halifax King of Donair.