The Burnaby Girls Intensity fulfilled a season of struggles with the soccer club’s first Coastal Cup title in years.
The Intensity, playing with just two substitutions, won the under-16 girls’ B Coastal Cup final 3-0 over the Chilliwack Attack at the Aldergrove Athletic Centre last Saturday.
Sarah Eng scored Burnaby’s first two goals, including her first-half eventual game winner. Danielle Labreche got the Intensity’s final goal late in the game from a near impossible angle, chipping the ball over the Chilliwack keeper to the far post. Tea Cecic recorded the shutout for the Burnaby girls.
“The whole season was a struggle with injuries and numbers,” Burnaby Girls head coach Zac Patel said of the team’s small 15-player team. “The girls just gave their hearts out.”
With two Intensity players playing at less than 100 per cent, Patek said the outcome was an all-team effort.
“Oh yeah, they were a very happy bunch. They’ve come a long way,” Patek said.
The Intensity finished second in the regular season to the Langley Dynamite this season. They also lost earlier in the season to the league winners in the LIGA Cup finals in a shootout.
Burnaby knocked off Coquitlam Metro-Ford TNT 3-1 in the semifinals and the Central City Bullets 4-1 in the quarter-finals. The Intensity opened the round of 16 playdowns with a 2-1 win over the Royal City Rebels.
The Intensity will take part in the Provincial B Cup finals in Penticton this summer from July 9 to 12.
Snipers guns silenced
The Cliff Avenue Snipers failed to live up to their moniker, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Port Coquitlam Castillian Juniors in the final of the u-13 girls’ Coastal B Cup last weekend.
PoCo capitalized midway through the opening half and then added a second counter four minutes before half time to better the Cliff Avenue club.
Cliff stepped up the pressure in the second half, leaving just three players back on defence, but even that failed to generate a much needed comeback marker.
“PoCo was deserving of the victory on this day,” said Snipers head coach Peter Battiston. “Our rematch will have to wait until July.”
Despite the loss, Cliff Avenue advanced to the Provincial Cup tournament in Nelson this summer.
