A pair of top-level Ladysmith soccer players carried home some heavy hardware after their respective teams claimed provincial titles last month in the BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL).
Mary Nicholls (U16 Girls) and Eric Gueldenstern (U15 Boys) were members of the host championship teams representing the Vancouver Island Wave franchise made up of players from the Upper Island Soccer Association and Lower Island Soccer Association.
Both local athletes are also members of the Mid-Isle Soccer Association and tournament took place June 23-24 at Westhills Stadium in Victoria.
The U15 boys also captured a BC Soccer Provincial Premier Cup, coached by Blair Sturrock and Riley O’Neil. The game was a rematch of last year’s final versus Surrey and the Wave came out victorious again this year.
However in addition to winning the trophy the team, including Gueldenstern, has also advanced as the British Columbia representative to Canada Soccer’s U15 National Championships to be held in Laval, Quebec at Thanksgiving.
This is the first National Championship appearance for the Wave program. Armaan Nijjar, from Lower Island Soccer Association’s Lakehill Soccer Association and Caleb Vallance from Upper Island’s Soccer Association’s Powell River scored for the Wave in the 2-1 victory.
In the U16 girls Vancouver Island Wave match Sophie Miranda from Lower Island Soccer Association’s Cowichan Valley Soccer Association scored from a penalty kick and Ava Alexander, from Upper Island’s Harbour City Football Club also scored to lead the Wave to a 2-0 win. Coaches Steph Steiner and Lyle Eggen couldn’t be prouder of the Provincial Champions.
There are eight franchises in the BCSPL, the highest level of youth soccer on the Island, one from the Interior and the remaining six from the Lower Mainland.
The U15 boys also captured a BC Soccer Provincial Premier Cup, coached by Blair Sturrock and Riley O’Neil. The game was a rematch of last year’s final versus Surrey and the Wave came out victorious again this year.
However in addition to winning the trophy the team has also advanced as the British Columbia representative to Canada Soccer’s U15 National Championships to be held in Laval, Quebec at Thanksgiving.
This is the first National Championship appearance for the Wave program. Armaan Nijjar, from Lower Island Soccer Association’s Lakehill Soccer Association and Caleb Vallance from Upper Island’s Soccer Association’s Powell River scored for the Wave in the 2-1 victory.
In the U16 girls Vancouver Island Wave match Sophie Miranda from Lower Island Soccer Association’s Cowichan Valley Soccer Association scored from a penalty kick and Ava Alexander, from Upper Island’s Harbour City Football Club also scored to lead the Wave to a 2-0 win. Coaches Steph Steiner and Lyle Eggen couldn’t be prouder of the Provincial Champions.