Quesnel teams had a hard run at it at soccer provincials this year.
The girls’ soccer teams travelled south to North Vancouver, while the boys went north to Prince George to pit themselves against the rest of the province.
The girls U13 team faced a tough roster of teams according to coach Gilbert Schotel. First, they faced off against the Marpole Phoenix, a Lower Mainland team, losing 6-0. Next up, the girls played well in a close game against the Kooteney Rovers. The Strikers lost 1-2 in a game that tethered for much of the 60 minutes. Chilliwack proved too tough for the Strikers, beating them 8-1. The girls ended their tournament with a bit of heartbreak after a nil-nil game against the Terrace Kermodeis snuck away from them when a Terrace player scored a lone goal in the last five minutes.
Schotel said his goalie, Ashley Carter, played well all weekend and did phenomenally in the final game to keep them in it to the very end.
The U15 girls fought hard in their first game, keeping Tswwassen to a 1-1 game at half, but losing 4-1 at full time. In their second game, Quesnel and the Nelson Selects played a back and forth, exciting game to a 1-1 tie. The West Van Spuraways, who went on to win their division, beat Quesnel 4-1. In their final game, the Strikers were just edged out by the Squamish Fireballs, 2-1.
The keeper, Hailey Schotel did really well and had a great weekend, keeping them in some of the games, Gilbert Schotel said.
“The girls had a lot of fun. They enjoyed the provincial competition and were able to take in a Whitecaps game as well,” Glibert Schotel said.
The U13 boys went into the tournament with only a pair of games under their belts and still had some growing to do, which they accomplished through the tournament.
“We showed some real strong improvement throughout the tourney,” coach James Browne said.
The first game proved to be the most difficult for the team, losing to Surrey FC United, 14-1, but Browne was happy with his team’s perseverance in the game. They lost again against Terrace, 6-0, with a variety of problems plaguing the game. Next up, the Strikers came up against the Kamloops Blaze, who expected to easily roll over them, but the Strikers kept them down to nil-nil for most of the first half, though the Blaze found their feet in the second half to beat them 6-0. In their final game, the Strikers lost a nail biter to Williams Lake, 3-4.
“It was a hard fought and sportsmanlike game,” Browne said.
The team had such a great time playing together they are considering continuing on into the summer.
The U15 boys struggled against some very tough competition as well.
Their first game, they fell to Gorge FC 8-1. Next up, the Strikers faced off against the Kootenay South Big Horns, to whom they lost 6-1. In their final game of the weekend, the Strikers fell to Royal City Westminster United, 0-11.
The U18 boys had a tough time on the weekend as a road closure and a game time change made life difficult for the team.
Half the Strikers, with half stuck on the highway behind an accident, lost to Coastal FC United 1-6. The Strikers then faced off against their Cariboo Rivals, the Kodiak A team, losing 6-1. Next up, the Strikers last to Saanich, 0-5. That was followed up by a game time change coach Mike Page was made aware of the midnight before the game which threw the team into confusion going into their final game against the Kodiak B team, which proved to be close, with the Strikers losing 0-1.