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Squamish U14 girls soccer team wins Division 2 League Cup

Squamish United beat Chilliwack FC in a 2-0 game this month.

Squamish's U14 Division 2 girls' soccer team is celebrating a big victory after being crowned the League Cup champions earlier this month.

Squamish United clinched a 2-0 victory over Chilliwack FC.

Both teams were champions in their respective western and eastern divisions, and the grand finale pitted the top teams from west and east against each other.

On April 10, Squamish proved to be the better of the pair.

Squamish United's victory came after a hard-fought regular season, where they emerged as the top U14 team in BCCSL Division 2.

The end of the regular season prompted the start of the League Cup, which they have now clinched.

The game, which took place at Quest University, took a turn in favour of the hometown team when right winger Sierra Fox scored in the 31st minute, according to the Squamish Youth Soccer Association.

In a social media post, the association lauded the efforts of goalkeeper Hannah Ayers and defensive midfielder McKinley Schulz. 

The deal was sealed by a second goal from forward Bianca Ike, who made a breakaway to punt the ball into the net. It was just two minutes away from the game's finish.

Coaches Nicole Rempel and Ray Christensen were responsible for providing the leadership to steer the team to victory.

"I'm just pretty proud of these girls," Rempel told The Squamish Chief on April 21. "They worked real hard all season long. They're focused. They're doing a great job."

She said that during the League Cup, the team had stuck to the same philosophy that they had during the regular season.

That philosophy was to treat every game as an important match.

"It's the same, fairly similar pre-game talk," said Rempel. "We are consistent on the warmup. We're consistent with the practices. They realize that every part of the game is important in every part of the practice and what they're working towards."

She said that during the game against Chilliwack, it took about five minutes for the girls to find their rhythm.

The stakes were high, and the players needed some time to calm their nerves.

"I think their anxiety was a little high, and they're a bit nervous. And then they settled in," said Rempel. "You get those butterflies before any game, right? And, you know, as much as you try and tell them that this game is… the same as the last game — it's just as important — you're always going [to get butterflies.] I mean, I still get butterflies in my stomach before a game. I think everyone does."

She said after they made a solid play, the momentum started to build, and they all fed off that energy.

She noted the players are all supportive of each other and they have a good sisterhood.

This season they worked on their fitness, on getting the ball out wide and getting it out of dangerous situations, Rempel said.

"They're maturing in their sport. They're starting to see that these things are evolving," she said. "We're doing a drill, and then it shows up in their game. And they're just maturing, they're becoming stronger athletes, and they're focusing more."

As for the future of the team, Rempel said that she sees the team continuing to hone their craft and grow as a group.

I hope that they continue to take it seriously and have fun with it," she said.

"I think they'll just keep building and hopefully growing as players and hopefully growing as a team together. And now we'll just see where it takes us."

 

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