The wait is over.
The provincial A soccer championships are on the field, and four Burnaby District Metro Soccer teams are in the thick of it, with all action at Burnaby Lake West complex.
The Coastal Cup champion under-13 boys team kicked off the tournament yesterday against Surrey-Guildford (past the NOW’s deadline), and play North Vancouver today (Friday) and finish the round-robin Saturday, 1 p.m. on Field 4 against Delta Coastal.
The long layoff since the Coastal tournament has played havoc with most teams, and the u13 Burnaby side was no exception.
“It’s been a learning curve since the last of the Coastal Cup,” said coach Matt Manfredi, noting his team has played three friendlies. “Our team is ready for the tournament. We have a great bunch of motivated players, they are committed (and) devoted to play.”
For the u18 Lakers, this is the fifth straight provincial A tournament for the squad, with four straight wins under their belts. The club has plenty to be proud about, said Lakers coach Frank Iuele, who is also BDMS's head coach.
"To have four out of our 11 teams qualify for Provincials from BDMS is quite an accomplishment and speaks volumes about our players, our coaches, our families and our program," he said.
In boys u15, Burnaby opened with a 1-1 tie with Port Moody on Thursday, plays Bays United today, and takes on Kamloops, 9 a.m. Saturday on Field 4.
In their fifth straight A provincials, the Burnaby u18 Lakers began yesterday against Central City and face Kamloops today and plays Juan de Fuca on Saturday, 1 p.m. on Field 3.
On the girls side, Burnaby’s u18 squad played North Shore yesterday, takes on Saanich today, and Prince George on Saturday, 3 p.m. on Field 5.
