Callum Rizun, Dylan Kerr and Isaac Howell scored goals to lead the Squamish United U14 boys travel soccer team to a 3-2 victory over the Richmond Strikers in the final of the Commonwealth Cup tournament on Saturday (March 2) in Burnaby.
The Cup crown capped a highly successful season for Squamish United, which lost only once in winning the Four District Silver Division regular-season championship, 10 points clear of their nearest rival. Ten different Squamish United players scored in the team’s four most recent games.
United, coached by Bill Rizun and David Mell, also includes Parmvir Shergill, Jonathan Campbell, Parker Mell, Nicky Klimchuk-Brown, Lukas Nerring, Nikki Tehara, Matthew Misquitta, Gurpreet Chagger, Jayson Blasak, Scott Hanlon, Hunter Verner, Kevin Ranada, Harjot Thandi and Corbin Bauer.
U13 girls qualify
Maya Heikoop scored the game-winner with 12 minutes remaining as the Squamish United U13 girls team qualified for the Provincial B Cup Tournament with a 2-1 win over the Surrey Fury on Sunday (March 3) in Surrey.
Squamish United, coached by Marco Fanzone, entered the game as the eighth-seeded team from the B.C. Coastal Girls Soccer League’s Division 2, matching up against the fifth-seeded Fury in the loser-out contest.
United, which lost 3-0 to the Fury on Feb. 10 in Squamish, scored first when Lauren Petryshen slammed home a 15-yard shot in the 11th minute play. United appeared to take a 2-0 lead on an apparent goal by Tanya Fearon early in the second half, but after conferring with his linesman, the referee disallowed the goal because of a handball on Fearon.
Surrey made it 1-1 five minutes later, knocking in a nicely placed free kick over the head of Squamish goalie Breanne DeCook.
Petryshen, Fearon and Heikoop all contributed to the winning goal. Petryshen sprinted into the left side of the penalty box to knock a bouncing ball past a charging Fury goaltender. Petryshen retrieved the ball near the end line and pushed a pass across the penalty area. Fearon then chipped a deflected shot toward the goal and, with the goalie out, Heikoop rushed in to poke the ball into the open net.
DeCook and the Squamish United defence turned away several Fury scoring attempts in the final minutes to secure the hard-fought victory.
United, which has seven wins, 15 losses and three ties overall this season, kicks off play in the single-elimination Provincial B Cup tourney on April 6 or 7.
