Jessica Filippelli scored on a free kick to give the Burnaby North Vikings a 3-1 victory over the New Westminster Hyacks in BurWest high school girls’ soccer last Thursday.
The win put the Vikings into the BNW/North Shore zone provincial qualifying match to be played Monday in North Vancouver.
Filippelli scored the eventual game-winning goal with a ball to the top corner from 25 yards in the opening half of play.
Allyson Dickson tallied a pair of goals for North, both coming in the first half.
“We couldn’t be too confident going into this game just because we beat them in league. We knew they’d come out and battle,” said Dickson after the game.
New Westminster enjoyed a majority of possession in the opening 20 minutes, including a couple of Grade A chances. But a swift counter attack and clinical finish by Dickson gave North the lead on the Vikings’ first shot on goal.
Five minutes after Filippelli’s free kick, Celeste Bain and Juliet Davies, with the goal, combined to cut the deficit in half for New West.
Dickson made it 3-1 for North just before half time.
In the second half, North controlled much of the play, but New West had a couple of chances go wanting. The Hyacks glanced one shot on goal off the post, while the Vikings keeper just managed to steer a second ball off the line.
The loss was made more painful for New West, owing to just a single available berth into AAA provincial qualifying this season.
On Monday, North was blanked by Argyle at William Griffith Park in North Vancouver in a single opportunity to earn a berth into the AAA final tournament.
Windsor defeated St. Thomas More 4-2 in the AA provincial qualifier in Burnaby, also held on Monday.
Unlike North, STM gets a second chance at a qualifying berth on Wednesday, when it takes on Seycove, 2-0 winners of Alpha in the other AA semi.
The match for the final AA zone berth will be held at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex-West. Game time is 3 p.m.
