A trio of girls’ teams from the Marine Harvest Riptide soccer program have qualified for the Provincial Club Championships this summer.
Last weekend at home, the U15 and U18 teams both defeated the Nanaimo Storm in Vancouver Island Premier League (VIPL) final matches to advance to A-Cup provincials in Richmond in July.
“They were tightly contested games, both of them,” said Shel Brodsgaard, Riptide soccer development co-ordinator.
The U16 girls had won their final before spring break.
The U15s beat the Storm 2-1 on Saturday, advancing to provincials for the second year in a row. Then on Sunday, they hosted the West Vancouver Rangers at Valley View. Down 3-1 at half, the U15s stormed back to win 4-3 in extra time. The win propelled the team into the Coastal Cup semi-final game, Saturday, April 21 against the Fraser Valley Selects. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Vanier turf.
The U16 and U18 girls have also advanced to the semis of the Coastal Cup, which is the qualifying competition for the BC Youth Provincial Cup. The finals are May 5 and 6 in Aldergrove.
Two other Riptide teams reached the VIPL finals. The U18 and U14 boys both lost. It was the first loss of the season for the U18 boys.
The Riptide has started spring trials for U14s. The 2018 spring academy is also underway with about 100 players, 11-16 years.
FMI: www.riptidesoccer.ca