It took some frigid weather to white-out a season-wrapping march.
The Burnaby-based Mountain United SC under-16 boys squad were poised to square off with Quebec for third place before a snowstorm put the 2016 Sportchek national championships on ice last week.
With the round robin
portion finished, all playoff games were scrubbed when an early cold snap made the fields unplayable and saw all teams back on their flights home with no championship awarded.
Mountain managed to go 3-1 over the five days, with the loss costing them a berth in the final.
“The kids were in good spirits at the end, even though they didn’t play the last game they realised what they had achieved,” said head coach Daniel Fairhurst. “The only time the mood dropped was after the loss but that is natural and understandable.”
They launched the tournament with a 3-0 win over the Newfoundland champion, getting goals from Alasdair Coyle, River Dennehy and Alex Wallace. Picking up a well-deserved shutout was Sam Boppart, who was called to make a tough save late in the match.
Their only setback came in their second test, against the host Albertans. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, the B.C. champions applied a lot of pressure and got within a goal on Lorenzo De Bei’s free kick.
Pulling out all the stops, Mountain gave a valiant effort before ending up on the wrong side of a 2-1 game.
They bounced back in the next match by trouncing New Brunswick 10-2, with Wallace scoring three times, including one in Didier Drogba-like fashion. Dustin Livingstone and De Bei counted a pair each.
Stuart Loop’s tally saw nearly the whole team touch the ball before ending up in the New Brunswick net.
Rounding out the offence were Miles Gailiunas and Dumars Graham.
In the last round-robin contest, Mountain broke a stalemate with three straight goals in the second half to top Nova Scotia 3-1.
Wallace scored twice, giving him six goals and a share of the Golden Boot trophy, and Ryan Hum added a single.
Although slated to play Quebec for third place, the end result was a great bonding experience for the boys, said the coach.
“Overall I was very pleased with the team at nationals. They performed well and put in 100 per cent effort and some great performances,” said Fairhurst. “I am proud of the lads.”
The squad, which draws players from Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore to compete in the elite EA Sports B.C. Premier Soccer League, had advanced to the nationals with a 4-0 shutout over regular season champion Coastal FC in June.
Although Canadian Soccer officials are slated to discuss a resolution to the tourney, Fairhurst said it would be fitting if both Quebec and B.C. were awarded bronze medals.
