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Fittingly, a season dedicated to the late Grant Sheridan ended with a Kelowna Women’s Soccer League Division 1 championship.
The Peacock Sheridan Group not only won its second Div. 1 league title eight years, but for the first time went undefeated with a 15-0-1 record.
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“I really think Grant was always on our minds each game and gave us that little extra some nights,” said PSG coach Rich Woodhouse, following his team’s final victory (2-0 over Voyager RV) of the KWSL season recently at Nonis Field.
“Peacock Sheridan has been amazing support of women’s soccer and sport in general in Kelowna and were are proud to wear their jerseys,” added Woodhouse. “When we first approached Grant and Brent Peacock, they were clear they wanted a lasting relationship with our team based on great culture and long-term goals — not a one-and-done so to speak. It was a great fit.”
Woodhouse said he got to know Sheridan — who died July 28 after a battle with bacterial meningitis — via the sponsorship and more so when the PSG women’s team worked alongside him at Kelowna Chiefs’ hockey games at the Rutland Arena for several years.
“We had some great conversations and laughs and I will miss his great sense of humour and big smile,” noted Woodhouse. “He was always finding ways to help us out and that’s who he was in a nutshell. The man was solid gold.”
While held to a scoreless tie by third-place Voyager RV in the first half, Peacock Sheridan struck for a pair of goals in the second half to keep their season-long unbeaten streak alive.
UBC Okanagan Heat grad, Lindsey Briggs, with her 12th goal of the season, scored what would prove to be the winner off a goalmouth scramble 10 minutes into the second frame while Mary Bennett added the insurance marker on a breakaway. It was her sixth goal of the season.
PSG is made up mostly of returning veterans and four additions from the North Okanagan — Toshiko Hashi of Armstrong and Vernon’s Kira Lee, a University of Calgary alumnus, Lydia Lavigne (UNBC) and Bennett (SMU Halifax).
Only Steph Conti is an original member of the team while Beccs Wipfli joined PSG in 2008.
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