For the third year in a row the Carihi Tyee Junior Boys Soccer team has won the North Island Championship and are on their way to Islands.
After finishing second in league play, the Tyees travelled to Qualicum Beach last week to compete against Ladysmith.
This was an elimination game and the losing team would be finished for the season. The boys started the game very well, dominating possession and moving the ball in a composed manner.
Brady Assu put a cross onto the right-hand side of the area which the goalie was able to block but not control and Sam Budden was there to knock in the rebound at about the 15-minute mark to open the scoring.
Shortly after, a scramble in front of the net was buried by Menoa Brennan.
Early into the second half Assu lobbed a ball over the goalie from the left-hand side of the field. Carihi did not look back and goals were also scored by Trevor Nast, Lucas Guderjahn, Antoine Minfray and River Ruiz earning a 7-0 victory.
Then last Tuesday morning, the Tyees were up against an extremely strong, international based squad from Kwalikum High School. The two teams were evenly matched for the first part of the game until the Kwalikum Kondors managed to find the back of the net after a well taken free kick.
The Tyees went into halftime down 1-0. The second half saw them respond, however, as the Tyees stepped up the pace of movement and their tenacity on the ball.
They began a series of assaults and determined possessions which were rewarded when Braydon Hues headed in a free kick by Assu to tie up the game. About five minutes later Nico Matheson put a long ball into the box to Nast who used his left foot to slam the ball into the net.
Up 2-1, the Tyees had a tense time for the last 10 minutes with the Kondors repeatedly challenging.
But Carihi prevailed and the 2-1 victory put them into the finals against Powell River.
The Tyees were fresh off a 2-0 loss to the Brooks squad in league play and were looking for revenge. The teams were evenly matched in the first half, with strong midfield play by Minfray and Corson Arbour, but neither team was able to convert.
In the second half a well placed corner kick from Assu enabled Guderjahn to head the ball, which bounced off a Powell River player and into the net. Shortly after, Guderjahn headed another Assu corner kick into the back of the net. Down 2-0, the Brooks team increased its efforts and were rewarded with five minutes remaining. But Carihi managed to stop all other scoring attempts to bring home the North Island Championship for the third year in a row and is currently in Brentwood for the Island Championships as a result.
