The Campbell River Youth Soccer Association U14/15 Warriors had a wonderful weekend of soccer March 12 to 13, where they finished second at the annual Mayor’s Memorial Cup in Surrey.
Head coach Chris Flood said, “We could not have written a better script,” after the team returned home. In their first game, which was on Saturday morning, they played a team from the Lower Mainland. The quality of play was high right from the opening whistle with quick passing as the focus to progress the ball up field. The Warriors scored a couple of goals early while limiting the opposition to only a few chances.
The team played a solid defensive game and pressed forward quickly when they gained possession of the ball. The game finished 3-1 with game MVP awarded to Tsion Foote.
The Warriors were back on the pitch again on Saturday, this time against a team from the South Island. This was the team’s first experience with a bigger, stronger team that played an intimidating style. It took them off their game and required a lot of supportive communication and teamwork for the kids to work their way through this challenge. The Warriors learned some life lessons about sportsmanship and resilience as they played to a tough 6-1 defeat. Game MVP was awarded to Cayden Houser.
For their third Saturday game, the Warriors took on a skilled team from the Interior. The weather conditions were difficult with wind and rain, but the coaches had the kids up to the challenge. Their unselfish play and focus on quick ball recovery allowed them to build a well-deserved lead at half time. In the second half, they took control of the game on their way to a 3-0 win. Game MVP was awarded to Logan Prokopchuk.
After the first day of play, the team had a 2-1 record. The players were feeling great about their performance, and the coaches were proud of the team’s overall play.
They went into Sunday against a skilled team from the Lower Mainland. Their defensive effort was excellent from the start. When they had possession, they were able to move the ball effectively with accurate passing and movement into space. They established a lead by half-time and the opposing team started showing signs of frustration in the second half. Their final game finished 5-0 with game MVP awarded to Hayden MacLeod.
“With a record of three wins and one loss – with two shutouts – the Warriors finished second in their division,” said a press release from the team. “What an excellent result for our local rep soccer team! As always, the coaches deserve a great deal of credit for instilling a spirit of teamwork, sportsmanship and fun into the team.”
RELATED: Young Campbell River bowler lands perfect game — twice
Campbell River hosts U18 Provincial Championships
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter