From shootout to second best in province, Nelson Selects surprise medal winner at Provincial B U13 Boys Cup
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By Bruce Fuhr
The Nelson Daily Sports
No one gave the Nelson Selects much of a chance at the B.C. Soccer U13 Boy’s Provincial B Cup — especially after the Heritage City squad needed shootout to dispose of Kootenay rivals Kootenay South.
But the Selects surprise many of the experts by winning silver after falling 2-0 to Prince George Kodiaks in the final Sunday in Powell River.
“It was a little disappointing to fall short at the very end of a long, hard road, but the boys can hold their heads high,” said coach Paul Dawson.
“Prince George is a well-coached, tactically sound team and they deserved the victory.”
“The boys gave everything they had for the four days, but in the end, missing five key players for various reasons meant it was always going to be challenging,” Dawson added.
Two first half goals proved to be the difference in the final as the Northern Reps edged our Nelson.
“By the last game four of our players on the field were playing with injuries, but they continued to fight hard to the final whistle,” Dawson explained.
“At one point it looked like we might not even be able to attend the Provincials, so to win silver against the best teams in B.C. at this level, is a remarkable achievement.”
Nelson opened the tourney by surprising Kamloops Blaze 2-1. Goals by Quinn Dawson and Bryce Twible gave Nelson the 2-0 lead.
But the difference in the game may have been the incredible save off a penalty kick by Nelson keeper Parker Shaw-Lintz.
Nelson lost to Coquitlam 5-3 during game two as the Lower Mainland squad rallied from an early Nelson lead.
“(Coquitlam) is large and physical team,” said assistant coach Simon Lintz. “Full credit to them for coming back after our early goals.”
Realizing the team could finish first or last in the pool, Nelson pulled off a 2-1 win over Comox Valley.
Darian Johnson proved to be the hero scoring the winner for Nelson after Nigel Ziegler corralled a Guss Lammers cross to score the first goal of the game.
“We’ve had great support from the parents, the team manager, and the rep coordinators at Nelson Youth Soccer,” Dawson explained. “
Having Soccer Quest assist us in development helped us peak at just the right time, and Simon and I are very proud of the boys for what they’ve accomplished this year.”
sports@thenelsondaily.com
