Mixed results at Kamloops Slurpee Cup, U17 Girls grab silver
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
There were night and day results for a pair of Nelson Youth Soccer Rep teams during the Slurpee Cup Sunday in Kamloops.
The Nelson Selects came home with the silver medal after dropping a narrow 2-1 decision to the European Football School from North Vancouver in the final of the U17 Girl’s Division.
Meanwhile, Nelson Reps returned with a 1-3 record in the U18 Boy’s Division in Kamloops.
Nelson U17 Selects
Brittany Wheeler scored the lone goal for Nelson as the Selects dropped a heartbreaker to EFC in the final of the Slurpee Cup.
Wheeler was the game MVP for the Selects.
The Reps opened the four-team tourney with a 3-1 victory over Langley FC Fury.
Taylor Stewart, rejoining the team after having second thoughts about the season, scored twice and Alex Hawes added a single to lead the Nelson scoring.
Hawes netted the goal thanks to a nice feed from teammate Paige Mansveld.
Andrea Stinson was named the team MVP with Bekka Schrader and Rosie Porter receiving a few votes from the Nelson coaching staff.
The Select made it two straight later in the day with a 3-2 win over Westside Campionesse FC.
Schrader, Stewart and Stinson, scoring on a penalty shot, potted goals for Nelson.
Stinson earned her second MVP award of the tournament.
Nelson played the entire tournament without the services of striker Morag Paterson and Sydney Zondervan.
The Reps return to the pitch for the B.C. Soccer Provincial Playdowns against Kootenay South June 11-12.
Nelson U18 Selects
Coach Keith Williams has been down this road before.
After starting strong the veteran skipper watched his squad lose five of seven games en route to a pair of less than impressive performances during tournaments in Coeur d’ Alene and Kamloops.
However, last season finished with a high after Nelson won the Provincial B Cup title after experiencing the identical start to the year.
“Our 1-3 record this weekend came as an initial disappointment but in the end the realization that (Prince George) is made up of players from Kamloops, Kelowna, Terrace and region and the fact that we can easily hang in there with the best is a very strong sign of things to come,” Williams explained.
The Selects finished the Kamloops tourney losing by only 2-0 to Prince George.
After dominating the Kootenay South tourney to open the season, Nelson finished 1-2 at the Bill Eisnewinter Hotshot event in Coeur d’ Alene.
“The boys are beginning to understand what upper level soccer is all about,” Williams confessed following the Hotshot event.
Of course this season has not come without a few downers.
Perennial all star Luke Mori injured a shoulder playing baseball; midfielder Simon Sheppard has a nagging ankle injury that just will not heal; and Andrew Woodward is just getting back to action after injuring a wrist.
Add in Dom Kalesnikoff on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and Kootenay Regional Team keeper Adam Delman leaving to play in Calgary, and if Williams didn’t have any bad luck he’d have no luck at all.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
