By Brian Shaw | [email protected]

The winds of change keep sweeping through the Police Athletic League, or PAL, this year. 

For the first time in several years, the PAL soccer team captured the mens Promise South Salt Lake summer tournament championship on Aug. 6. 

PAL defeated a team from the Utah International Charter School (UI) in a penalty kick shootout after the game had been tied 3-3 through regulation. It was the second year in a row that the title was decided by penalty kicks. 

According to SSL recreation director Dustin Permann, the league was competitive throughout its six-game season and it was good for the league to see a new victor lift the trophy in 2019. 

"Everything went well," Permann said. "[We] wrapped up with the championship game during our local Night Out Against Crime event with the PAL team from Central Park coming away with the league title." 

Over the course of about two months, PAL won its fair share of games against formidable opponents such as the defending champions Hser Ner Moo Center. 

After six preliminary round games, PAL was one of the top two teams in the league along with UI to set up the championship showdown. 

It featured one team that hadn't been in that position for several years in PAL facing off against another in UIs who was the league runner-up last year. 

For his efforts throughout the summer league, Isaac Sanchez of the PAL team was named the league's most valuable goalkeeper after making several clutch saves during the championship's penalty kick shootout.