A group of 15 young soccer players are on cloud nine, after yet another successful season playing for Saanich Fusion.
The girls U14 team, in the Vancouver Island Premier League, finished the year with an 8-3-2 record and came out on top at the Island Cup playdowns.
“These girls have been training hard. We have a great group of girls,” said Meredith Campbell, manager of the Saanich Fusion team. “They’re friends on and off the playing field. They’re really competitive, yet very team-focused.”
Saanich Fusion pulls players from Gordon Head and Cordova Bay, after the two areas’ soccer clubs merged in 2011.
Campbell says the girls U14 team is evidence that it’s worked. Saanich Fusion has also attracted great technical directors and coaches, she adds.
“We don’t encompass a large area. The small amount of space that our club pulls from, for that type of talent to come out of here is fantastic,” she said.
While the girls spent much of the season travelling up and down the Island, they’re headed to A Cup provincials in Burnaby in July to compete with the best in B.C.
“Last year we went undefeated. We went into provincials with a similar situation, we won all four games and came out with the cup,” Campbell said. “This year we’ve moved up a level. But I think we stand a good chance.”
Provincial A Cup is held July 3-6. Three other teams from Saanich Fusion – girls U16 VIPL, boys U13 gold and boys U18 VIPL – also earned a spot at provincials.
Visit saanichfusionfc.ca.
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