Vernon United had a tough start and never recovered at the B.C. Under 17 Boys Soccer Championships in Prince George.
United suffered a 2-0 loss to Terrace in their tournament opener, and then fell 2-1 to Vancouver FC. Their only goal came from Nathan Gatenby, assisted by Ben Aspenlieder.
Vernon’s lone win came against Juan de Fuca, with the game’s only goal supplied by Dylan Towns, who showed aggressive and talented play all week in both midfield and on defence.
United then played the Nelson Selects to a 1-1 draw. Birthday boy Nathan Gatenby accounted for Vernon’s offence.
The U17 crew wound up fourth overall after a 2-1 loss to Surrey in their final match.
Surrey went up 1-0 in the second half, but this was answered by Lucas Ross, who, playing on a sprained ankle, dangled several Surrey defenders and ripped a top-shelf shot past the goalie for the equalizer.
With Vernon under a lot of pressure, Surrey snuck one past keeper David Weir, who had an outstanding performance in net all week.
United nearly pulled even again on several efforts, one a spectacular effort by Matt Kreutz, who narrowly missed the net.
The boys showed a lot of heart, playing with a short bench for the tourney, and most of the season.
Vernon’s midfield was controlled well all week with strong play by Mike Bennett, while Menno Burnet, Liam Eddy and Aspenlieder performed admirably on the back line.
