It was a tough day at Republic Park for the Portage Royals in Manitoba Major Soccer League Division 6 action. They were up against Azzurri, the top-ranked team in the league. The Royals fell by a final score of 5-1. Cam Scott scored the lone marker for Portage on a beautiful breakout with a left-footed shot.

Cam Scott and the Royals celebrate their goal."We just tried to keep possession when we could," says Scott. "To get sprung for goal at 45 years of age is pretty awesome."

The Royals again struggled to field a full team as getting enough players out continues to be one of the main downfalls of the team.

"It was very tiring, we started the game with nine (players)," notes Scott. "Then we went down with two injuries so there was only seven of us in the end. Very hot and humid. It was lots of fun, we didn't let them get out of hand on us."

With so few players and no substitutions it was difficult for Portage to maintain any momentum and relied on breakout passes to get chances on goal. Azzurri controlled play for much of the game as would be expected when they had two to three more players on the field. The Royals didn't quit which was what led to their goal in the latter portions of the second half. Despite the difficulties, Scott says the comaraderie is still second to none on the team.

"I enjoy playing with these guys, it's a good group," adds Scott. "I appreciate all their work and I appreciate our coaches."

The Royals will be in action again on Thursday at Republic Park when they take on Southside. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Royals Coach Dave Oshust asks if anyone is interested in playing for the Royals, they can contact him at 204-856-3829.