Kelowna United Bags a Silver and a Bronze!

Kelowna United U16 Boys SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

The Kelowna United U16 Boys won silver in the Provincials in Prince George, dropping a hard fought gold medal game against North Vancouver, 3-2. Second half goals by Ayden Corrigan and Isaac Koch made it close, but the team couldn't overcome a 3-0 deficit from the first half. North Van dominated the first half, and if not for some incredible saves by Austin Glabus-MacLeod the deficit could have been much larger.

Playing in the stronger of the two pools they ended up first on the basis of goal differential when three of the four teams ended up with identical records of 1 win and two ties. They started action on Thursday with a 1-1 tie against a tough, hard working Terrace team. A great goal on a volley by Lachlan Wallace early in the second half earned the point.

On Friday they played the top seed in the tournament, Cliff Avenue United from Burnaby and came away with another tie, 2-2. Despite outplaying Cliff Avenue through most of the game the team had to come back twice to earn the tie on goals by Kyle Taylor and Isaac Koch. Koch's goal came in the last 45 seconds of the game on a brilliant set up by Max Morgan.

On Saturday the team went into the game knowing they had to win by 5 - 0 to have the tie breaker in their favour. They came out hungry and could have had a handful of goals in the first 15 minutes if not for some outstanding play by the Prince George goalkeeper. They finally broke through late in the first half on goals by Isaac Koch and Lachlan Wallace, but went into the second half up only two. A couple of early second half goals by Isaac Koch put them on the verge of the gold medal game, and two late second half goals by Robbie Martin clinched a place in the final.

KU U16 Boys Silver Medal Winners, Provincials B Cup

Front row, kneeling (left to right): Robbie Martin, Kyle Taylor, Dominique Mastroianni, Isaac Koch, Jacob Dunn, Gavin Day, Lorenzo Balducci

Back Row, standing (left to right): Coach Dino Mastroianni, Head Coach Alan Scholes, Zachary Sousa, Brandt Sianchuk, Max Morgan, Austin Glabus-MacLeod, Christian Holzhey, Lachlan Wallace, Ayden Corrigan, Michael Macdonnell, Coach Earl Martin

Kelowna United U16 Girls - BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS

The Kelowna United U16 girls returned from the Provincial B Cup held in North Vancouver July 4th-7th as bronze medallists. KU revealed their depth and teamwork in the battle for third place against Prospect Lake Victoria Club. Late in the first half, Jazlyn Lazar delivered the ball to the box and Kelsey Slattery capitalized giving Kelowna the lead at the break. An infraction by Victoria’s keeper resulted in a penalty kick at the sixty-second minute which was perfectly nailed by Kelowna’s Lindsay Lalach. The KU attacks kept coming as Emma Johnsons’ cross set up Meghan Gerein for a focussed finish in the net. Brianne Mapson’s gorgeous header was icing on the cake delivered off of another Johnson cross. Avery Watson recorded the shutout with defensive leadership from Abbey Nyberg and Krisztina Breti. The final score for bronze, 4-0.

Kelowna was also honoured with the Fair Play Award in their age group. This award, with input from referees and tournament officials acknowledged the team whose players, coaches, and supporting spectators demonstrated great sportsmanship. A fantastic finish to the season for this dedicated group of girls led by coaches Linda George and Joe Breti.

Kelowna had 3 games in their round robin pool leading up to the medal defining matches. KU had a shaky first half against the Penticton Pinnacles but found their feet in the second half with Emma Johnson feeding Kiana Ajamzadeh for the first marker. Johnson then scored on a breakaway set up by a header from Claire Culver, giving Kelowna the 2-0 win.

In Kelowna’s next match, against the Ladner Vipers, the damage was done 5 minutes in when a speedy Ladner striker out ran Kelowna on a through ball finishing the sprint with a well placed shot. Kelowna dominated possession with multiple attacks and numerous shots but could not find the back of Ladner’s net. Late in the game, KU’s Hayley Slade saved a sure goal on a beautiful slide tackle defending another Ladner breakaway. In the end, Kelowna ran out of time, with Ladner advancing to the gold medal match.

Kelowna’s final round robin game against the North Van Vipers began strong with Emma Johnson receiving a through ball off Claire Culver and blasting the ball into the left corner. Thirty-five minutes later, North Van found an opening to tie up the game. Kelowna never regained their momentum and the game ended with a score of 1-1. This was enough to secure a fight for third place in the tournament.

Pic: KU U16 Girls Bronze Medal Winners, Provincials B Cup

Front row: Jozsef Breti (assistant coach), Krisztina Breti, Abbey Nyberg, Kiana Ajamzadeh, Jazlyn Lazar, Emma Johnson, Lindsay Lalach, Bailey Peissard, Hayley Slade, Lenasia Ned, Emina Arima, Linda George(coach)

Back row: Brianne Mapson, Mackenzie Moore, Meghan Gerein, Jenna Labossiere, Kelsey Slattery, Avery Watson, Claire Culver, Noreen Ajamzadeh (manager)