Mowi Riptide soccer teams were back in action last weekend on the road against Storm teams.
The U16 girls kicked off the weekend with a 3-2 win against the U17 Storm. Kassie Aickinclose scored once and Shea O’Donnel scored two goals for the Riptide.
The U14 girls defeated the U14 Storm 1-0 in an excellent game.
The U15 boys defeated the U14 Storm 9-0 in a cross-division game.
The U16 Riptide boys played a great game and against the U16 Storm winning 4-1.
The U18 Riptide girls defeated the U18 Storm 1-0
The U18 Riptide boys lost to the U18 Storm 4-3. The U18ss also played Friday night in Campbell River against the U18 Storm Boys, winning 3-0.
All teams are focussing on preparing to finish the season with strong team performances leading into the playoffs, which start Feb. 29 and March 1. Winning teams qualify for the BCSA A-Cup Provincial Championships in July.
The Riptide are excited to be offering intake trials to interested players next fall. In the next two weeks, the Riptide will have seen 50-plus players interested in playing for the U14 Riptide boys and U14 girls for the 2020-2021 VIPL Season.
Vancouver Island’s lone professional soccer club, Pacific FC, will be assisting the BCSPL Program to ensure the Tier One Concept is “Island-wide” and accessible. One of the first initiatives from Pacific FC was to invite the technical leads from the Riptide and Storm VIPL franchises to participate in the BCSPL U13 trials in February.
“It is a very exciting time in the season,” Riptide technical director Shel Brodsgaard said. “As our teams prepare for the end of league play and transition into the competitive stage of the season we see the overall performance of our groups as very positive. Regardless of the results, the teams are peaking and working towards being as best prepared as they can to perform under pressure and achieving positive results come playoff time. In addition, the intake trials always present a window into the future of the program ad thus far the future looks bright. There is an energetic, motivated and hard working group of young players interested in the program. On a final note, aligning the BCSPL with the support from Pacific FC is a gigantic step forward for youth soccer on Vancouver Island.”