The U14 Riptide boys soccer team faced the league-leading North team from Victoria Sunday at Woodcote in Courtenay.
North held a one-point lead over the the local side heading into the final game of the season. All signs were favorable as the Riptide had won its last six games while North had tied its previous two.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes, North caught a break when a Riptide defender slipped on the grass while defending, allowing their left winger to cross the ball to the right winger, who scored on a header.
Later in the half, the Riptide’s Ty Ludikowski nearly finished a cross from midfielder Ty Fisher.
The half was nearing a close when midfielder Kalum Lidstrom won the ball and passed it to Emile Abele, who turned toward the North net and slotted the ball home.
“The cheers from the fans was deafening,” a new release states.
In the second half, neither team held the advantage, though Riptide definitely had more scoring opportunities and shots on net. The North keeper stood on his head in the last 15 minutes, making numerous quality saves as Riptide pressed for the win after making a tactical formation change to provide more offence.
The game ended 1-1.
Next up is the playoffs where Riptide is likely to again meet Victoria’s North team.