Zone 5 (Okanagan) shut down defending champion Vancouver Island North 3-0 Friday in the gold-medal final of men’s soccer at the B.C. Senior (55+) Games in Castlegar.
After a scoreless half, Wolfgang Bopp of Salmon Arm unleashed a quick shot to put the Okanagan entry ahead.
Bopp then fed Joe Jamison of Kelowna, who found the short side for a 2-0 lead. Jenne Huberts of Vernon headed in the third goal. Allen Bensmiller of Vernon earned the shutout.
Also representing the North Okanagan with the gold medalists were Mahmoud Abdel-Kader, Tim Penaluna, Denis Chabot, Harry Adam, Rich Zecchel, Erv Schuur and Mike Siemens.
In 60+ action in Castlegar, the Zone 5 crew needed a shootout to clinch gold over Vancouver Island North.
The Islanders went up 1-0 early in the game, but the Okanagan boys, featuring locals Boris Pasieka and Felix Heinrich, responded with two quick strikes on goal-mouth scrambles.
The 60s held the lead until close to the end when North Island equalized to force a shootout, which Okanagan won 4-2.
