The North Okanagan Soccer League’s Gibson Cup championship will be an all-Vernon affair.
North Enderby Timber will take on Turn-Key Controls Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Marshall Field for the league championship.
NET and Turn-Key advanced with semifinal wins Wednesday.
The hometown timbermen advanced to their sixth straight Gibson Cup final with a thrilling 2-1 win over Salmon Arm Nation of Domination (NOD) at Marshall Field.
NET came out strong, creating the first few chances of the game but couldn’t beat the NOD keeper until the 35th minute.
Brent Poulsen streaked down the sideline, cut to the middle and dished the ball off to Fabrice Fanfani, who danced around a defender and buried a rocket to the top corner from 23 yards.
In the second half the tides turned and NOD came out firing, creating the majority of the chances but couldn’t get by the stingy NET defence who only allowed six goals all year.
In the 70th minute, Poulsen gave the timbermen a much-needed insurance marker. Graham Ross beat a defender and hammered a pass to Poulsen who flicked the ball past the defence and beat the keeper low short-side.
The two-goal lead lasted only three minutes when an NOD forward got in behind the NET defence and beat Timber goalie Victor Gouchee far side. Both teams had chances in the final minutes but the Timber held on to earn the win.
In Salmon Arm, on a rainy Wednesday night, Turn-Key Controls advanced to the NOSL Final with a commanding 5-0 victory over Courvas.
Turn-Key opened the scoring in the game’s opening minutes when Andrew Pool would find himself behind the defence and poke the ball past the keeper for the early lead.
The two friendly rivals would engage in a battle in the midfield for most of the half, but it was Preston Tucker who would put the Controls squad ahead 2-0 when he headed home a cross from the wing for the lead going into halftime.
The second half saw a tired Courvas squad unable to keep up with a motivated Turn-Key side.
Jeremy Kler would make it 3-0 when an Evan Moore free kick was stopped by the goaltender but cleaned up with a header by Kler. Moore would be involved with the action shortly after when he sent Kanwar Pandher alone on net with a world-class through ball that Pandher converted.
Thomas Pool would round out the scoring for Turn-Key.
Goaltender Gregg Douma wasn’t tested often but did make the Total Restoration Save of the Game in the second half when he made a diving stop off a Courvas free kick that looked destined for the top corner to preserve the clean sheet.
NET, the defending playoff champs, will be shooting for an 11th Gibson Cup title.
Turn-Key is searching for its first-ever Cup title.
They lost to NET in the final in 2012 and ‘13, and were eliminated by Courvas in the 2014 semifinals.
