The Marine Harvest U15 boys Upper Island Riptide soccer team won the Vancouver Island Premier League (VIPL) championship on a crisp night in early March at the Comox Valley turf field.
The squad has qualified for the A Cup Provincial Championships hosted by Surrey in early July. The boys were crowned 2016 Provincial A Cup champions last year, and are focused on repeating the accomplishment this summer.
The championship game was played against arch rival Nanaimo Storm. After the first half there was no score until Alonso Cortez pounced on a loose ball in the 18-yard box and fired home the goal to give the Riptide a 1-0 lead.
The time was ticking down and with about five minutes left in the game, and after intense pressure by the Storm, the visitors scored on a corner kick to tie the affair 1-1.
Two halves of overtime did not produce a winner so it was off to the nail-biting penalty kicks. The PKs went down to the final kicks and the Riptide prevailed over a great team from Nanaimo.
The U15 boys are hosting a Coastal Cup quarter-final game this Sunday at 1 p.m. against West Van FC at the Comox Valley turf by the Sports Centre.
The Riptide U14 girls and U16 girls also host Coastal Cup games, 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, and will also be heading to provincials in July.
Come on out and cheer on your local VIPL champions this weekend.