Stingy defence and timely goals has propelled the Nelson Selects U14 girls squad to the gold medal match in the BC Provincial B Cup in Kelowna.
The Nelson side started the provincial tournament Thursday with a 1-0 loss SurDel United (Surrey-Delta). The only goal of the game was scored on a free kick.
In the second game of the tournament the Selects bounced back with a 3-0 win against Quesnel on Saturday morning. Facing a must-win situation on Saturday afternoon, the Selects took out Tsawsassen Blues 3-1. The only goal against Nelson was scored on a penalty kick.
The 2-1 round robin record was good enough to earn the Selects first place in their pool. They will play the top-ranked Powell River Cobras in the finals on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re thrilled to be in the finals,” said U14 co-coach Paul Burkart. “We can play with this team [Powell River] for sure. It depends which team shows up. If it’s the team that played against SurDel then we might have a hard time. If it is the team that showed up against Tsawwassen then we should be okay.”
The Selects entered the tournament ranked seventh. Last season as a U13 team, the girls took fifth place in the tournament.
The weather in Kelowna tomorrow afternoon is expected to be 35 C by game time which Burkart said could play to the Nelson side’s advantage as they have a deep bench of 17 players.
Nelson sent seven boys and girls teams to the provincials this weekend. The only other Selects team vying for a medal will be the U16 boys in Aldergrove.
