The Bulkley Valley U18 Strikers struck bronze at the provincial championships in Prince George last weekend.
The Striker’s stingy defence allowed only three goals, as they outscored their opponents 16-3 over the course of four matches.
“Everyone was backchecking and picking up their man,” explained centre-mid fielder Gabriel Price.
“We played as a team and when we moved forward, everybody was busting a gut to get up the field to support the forwards.”
To open the tournament, the Strikers started slow, conceding an early goal on a penalty shot to Penticton to lose the first match 1-0.
After the first game, the Strikers won big in their next two matches, 4-0 against Prince George B team and 5-1 against the Italian Sports Association from Vancouver.
Strikers goals were scored by Eric Faion (4), Silvio Luther (2), Tyler Hofsink, Gabriel Price and Marcel Barralon.
With two wins and one loss, the Strikers finished second in their group to qualify for the bronze medal game against the Prince George A team.
The Bulkley Valley team started fast, scoring one goal in the first five minutes and quickly building up a 3-0 lead.
Prince George battled back, scoring one early in the second half but were unable to mount a serious challenge.
In the end, the Strikers easily won the bronze medal by a score of 7-1.
Barralon netted four goals aided by singles from Delany, Evan Kenzle and Faion in the victory.
Strikers’ netminder Ryaln Deacon-Rogers said the team stayed with their game plan throughout the tournament and had very few defensive letdowns.
“Our defence as usual was exceptional and our strikers and mid fielders made their chances count,” Deacon-Rogers said.
“It was an unreal week and an awesome season for us.”
In addition to the bronze medal, the Strikers also earned6 the Fair Play Award for the second straight year.
The season marked a dramatic turnaround for the Strikers, who only managed to win one game at the provincial championships last year.
The season is not quite over yet as the U18 Strikers still have three games to play in the Smithers Soccer League in the next two weeks.
If they win all three games, they will take the Smithers Soccer League men’s title.
The Bulkley Valley U18 girls were also at provincials last weekend and made it into the bronze medal match.
Full results were not available by press time, see next week’s The interior News for the full story.