The U14 MOWI Riptide girls soccer team qualified for the B.C. tournament by defeating Victoria North in the Vancouver Island Premier League (VIPL), Saturday in Victoria.
In the eighth minute, Bellarosa Ternes struck a 22-yard, first-time blast over and above the goalkeeper to take a 1-0 Riptide lead, which held to the half. In the second half, stiker Bella and goalie Clara Jamison swapped positions. Two minutes in, Clara struck a first-time volley into the back of the next from the top of the penalty area to make it 2-0.
The win propels the U14 girls to the BCSA A-Cup Provincial Championships, July 2-5 in Surrey. This is the second year in a row head coach Shawn Fiddick takes a Riptide team to the provincial final. Last season, the U15 girls won gold.
The U18 Riptide girls played at home Sunday against the Storm in the VIPL final at the Vanier turf. The Riptide entered the final with a record of 10 wins and one tie, scoring 34 goals and conceding five.
The Storm struck first at the 30th minute on one of the few attacks they were able to muster in the first half. The Riptide responded at the 44th minute to level the score at half. The Riptide dominated most of the second half and created multiple scoring chances. The home side took the lead in the 54th minute, and nearly made it 3-1 at the 65th minute when Inara Jawher struck the crossbar on a shot from 30 metres.
“As the game wore on, luck was not on the Riptide’s side on this particular day as the Storm struck back to tie the game 2-2 in the 85th minute,” a news release states.
The Riptide again hit the crossbar in the 87th minute following another chance to score in the 86th minute.
Overtime was needed to decide the game. In the first 15-minute period, an unfortunate miscue in the back enabled the Storm to take the lead and win the game 3-2. Coaches Scott Harris, Darrin McLeod and Mike Oldale created an opportunity for these girls to train at the highest level available for young soccer players, delivering an intense, demanding and rewarding environment all season long.
“These hard-working groups of players, parents, coaches and managers have all been able to experience the pressure of cup play, and work toward and achieve team goals,” Riptide technical director Shel Brodsgaard said. “Whether losing a cup final or winning a cup final prepares all of our players to be humble winners and gracious losers. Such is the life of sport, you win some and you lose some. In the end, it is the journey that matters most, and I can assure you that as the U18 Riptide girls step away from the season, they will find ways to reflect in a very positive way in which the team grew, improved, competed and pushed themselves. To the U14 Riptide girls, there is a lot of hard work ahead, starting with the Coastal Cup competition in April, and we look forward to monitoring their continued success.”