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Terrific run in youth soccer ends with quarter-final loss for Vipers

An outstanding run through youth soccer has come to an end for the Ladner Vipers, courtesy of their longtime rival.
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Ladner Vipers’ Erika Schwuchow attempts to block a shot during Sunday’s quarter-final loss.

An outstanding run through youth soccer has come to an end for the Ladner Vipers, courtesy of their longtime rival.

The U18 girls soccer team was eliminated from the Coastal "B" Cup playdowns after a 4-3 home field quarter-final loss to the Coquitlam Black Ice.

The Vipers captured Coastal Cup titles at the U15 and U16 levels. Both championship game victories were over the Black Ice. The girls also narrowly missed out on being U16 provincial champions after losing out in penalty kicks to Williams Lake in the title game. The girls were coached throughout their run by Dirk Schwuchow.

Ken Priestlay served as an assistant, while Pete Findlay was also involved for a number of years until his daughter Laura focused full-time on volleyball.

Meanwhile, the U17 Tsawwassen Blues have also enjoyed plenty of success in Coastal Cup play and this year is no exception.

The girls advanced to the semi-finals with a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Fusion. They will head to UBC's Warren Field for the second straight weekend to take on the Vancouver Fury.

The Blues are also a step closer to returning to the Provincial "B" Cup Championships which will take place in Penticton this year. In 2013, they earned bronze.

In boys Coastal Cup action, U17 Ladner Celtic's reign as champions ended with a heartbreaking 2-1 quarter-final extra time loss to the Central City Breakers Elite.

The Surrey visitors netted the game winner in the opening minutes of the first overtime period. Ladner carried much of the play but failed to capitalize on a number of chances.

The Elite defeated the Celtic three times this season en route to also winning the District 5 regular season and league cup titles.