Vernon Tolko United U12 entered two teams into the 2016 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Adidas Cup in Vancouver.
Entered under the names of Venom and Vipers, the boys enjoyed fast-paced, quality soccer against many highly competitive teams.
The Tolko Vipers went undefeated at 3-0-1 while the Venom were 1-3.
The Vipers defeated the Whitecaps FC Northern Academy 4-2 in their opener.
Cameron Acob put the team on the scoreboard with a nice assist by Marcus Erho. Devin Bilodeau set up Levi Koroll for the second goal of the game.
WFC Northern battled back scoring on a free kick from just outside the box but Declan Hardy responded on an open net with the keeper out of position. Bilodeau slid one past the keeper on a free kick from outside the box to round out the Vernon scoring.
The Vipers then blasted Coastal FC 8-3. Hardy scored twice, Ben Straight ripped one through the side of the net and converted a second goal on a corner kick from Braden Schmeiglet, then racked up his first hat trick of the season just before half time.
Ehro cleaned up a scramble in front of the net and Nick Noren also joined the crew on the sheet after a great pass from Owen Challen.
Coastal FC retaliated with two more but Noren was able to get his second of the game on a pass from Erho.
The Vipers faced the Fort McMurray (Alta.) Fury Sunday morning with Koroll converting a long free kick to give Vernon a 2-2 draw.
The Fury scored the first two goals before Hardy got Vernon on the board. Solid defensive play by Parker Monroe helped the team stay in the game.
The final game for the Vipers was the toughest one they played in the tourney.
Acob scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Coastal FC Roay in a very physical match with both teams having solid opportunities.
A strong defensive line of Noren and Erho kept the Coastal FC Royal team down.
The Venom opened against a familiar foe, Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League rivals Kamloops Blaze, and escaped with a 5-4 win.
With Jared Eddy in net, Fraser Christensen scored on a hard blast assisted by Cash Anderson and Ryder Comazzetto.
Mitchell Bond, a U11 pickup, blasted a long ball that was missed by the Kamloops keeper.
Kamloops answered back but Christensen passed up to Anderson who notched another goal for the team. Landon Janke fed a great pass that was finished by Bond, and Anderson scored his second of the game.
Against Coastal FC Royal, Anderson and Janke scored as Vernon fell 4-2. Alex Kazimer and Liam Collins split the goaltending duties, each playing a half.
A late goal off a corner kick in their first game Sunday morning saw Team Croatia beat the Venom 1-0. Alexander Jones was a wall in net, letting nothing by in the first half. Carter Leahy took on keeper duties in the second half for the now-injury-riddled Vernon squad, who kept battling.
The Venom had a tough final game, falling 5-1 to CFC Black. Jones was able to get a ball past the defence but CFC responded with three goals before the half.
Even though the results were mixed, both Tolko Vernon Tolko United U12 boys played great and were even able to watch the pros at the Vancouver Whitecaps – LA Galaxy MLS game Saturday night.
