The U18 Shuswap Selects boy soccer team didn’t manage to earn a trip to nationals in New Brunswick on Sunday, but they did wrap up their season as one of the winningest teams Salmon Arm has seen.
Overall this group of boys, the majority of whom have stayed together since their early years playing soccer, have earned four medals at provincial championships.
Between their U12/13 years and this year’s U18 level, the team has won two bronze, one silver and one gold medal.
Winning Sunday’s Provincial ‘A’ Cup final in Richmond versus Abbotsford’s Magnuson Ford Mariners FC would have been the icing on the cake, but it wasn’t to be. The final score, 5-0.
“They were a bigger, faster, stronger team,” said Selects coach Brad Ross. “I wouldn’t say outskilled, but definitely bigger, faster and stronger, with a little more depth on their team. The level played was just faster – not that great, but quite a bit faster and more physical,” Ross said.
He notes that, in Salmon Arm, the challenge is that there aren’t teams around of that calibre to play against regularly.
“They play at the Coast for eight months while we play lesser- standard teams. They play against competitve kids and get better,” Ross said.
“At times in the game we held possession and created a number of really good chances. Certainly we should have scored but didn’t.”
However, he says it was a great opportunity for the boys to learn, after having switched from the ‘B’ to ‘A’ level.
“Overall they really played their hearts out. They were just beaten by a really good team, and that’s all there is to it.”
Ross said it was a great chance for players to see where they fit into the big picture.
“That’s what development is all about, being able to see the next level of competition and see where you’re going.”
Team members Travis Froelich and Ben Schager have earned scholarships to post- secondary institutions in Nanaimo and Squamish respectively.
