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Blaze frustrate T-birds in close tourney final

U18 Boys Rep Soccer
soccer
The U18 Thunderbirds (front row, from left): Nicholas Davis, Kai Hansen, Angelo Pinsonnault, Wyatt Baldwin, Devin Ritchlin, Henry Larsen, Coulter Prestage. Back: coach Billy Davis, Elliot Wadge, Avery Kooyman, Simeon Campbell, Quin Huibers (c), Isaac Oka, Cole Schutz (c), Haden Rogers, coach Dean Schutz. Missing: Will Magnussen, Kaden Sauer.

The U18 Thunderbirds successfully defended their title as North Shore District Champs in North Van with a shootout win against NV Fury on Saturday, March 10.

The victory was a hard-fought achievement in a year the team often struggled for enough players. Finishing a respectable sixth place in Gold Division league play, the T-birds knocked out two teams above them on the way to the cup in a strong North Shore group. 

The Thunderbirds next travelled to Surrey for the Mayor’s Cup March 17 and 18, picking up three strong players from the Coast’s U16 Eagles who did a great job filling the vacancies left by the injured and absent, making the jump into the high-octane action of the top age group.

The first game saw the T-birds down by two at the half, until four goals in less than 20 minutes of the second saw them win decisively. 

The second match was looking like a 1-0 victory until a penalty was awarded and scored on the last kick of regulation, which took the match to a shootout that didn’t go their way.

Sunday morning a very sleepy crew roused themselves to runout as 3-0 winners, to finish first in the group and reach the final against Kamloops Blaze. The final was a very intense and close match but with the T-birds forced to shuffle positions they just couldn’t muster the goals needed and fell 1-0 to a late strike by the Blaze to finish second in this tough tourney yet again.

For half the Thunderbirds, this will have been the last tourney of their youth career, with the other half waiting to see if there will be a team for them next season. 

The Thunderbirds will next compete against the other Lower Mainland and Island district champs in the Coastal Cup staring April 7.

– Submitted by Dean Schutz