It was a dream debut for the Delta Coastal Selects at B.C. Soccer’s Provincial “A” Cup Championships.
The girls rep team culminated a fantastic inaugural season by capturing the U13 title with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over league rival Port Coquitlam Reign in the final played on July 3 at South Surrey Athletic Park.
Playing its first season at 11 aside, the Division One squad was formed in the spring of 2021 through a partnership between South Delta United Soccer Club and North Delta Football Club after the B.C. Coastal Soccer League made the decision to eliminate the Metro Division to reduce the number of tiers, starting with the incoming U13s.
The magical run included going unbeaten in regulation in 42 consecutive matches, dating back to mid-September. Along the way Delta captured the Richmond Thanksgiving Soccer Tournament, the Surrey Mayor’s Cup Tournament and the Okanagan Icebreaker Tournament. The provincial final provided an opportunity to avenge a heartbreaking loss in penalty kicks to PoCo in the Coastal Cup semi-finals back in April.
“This has been a phenomenal group of girls from day one,” beamed head coach Sean Semple. “The hard work and enthusiasm they showed through some of those cold, rainy nights of practice in the fall and winter were inspiring, and the memories of this season, their teammates, and the team’s accomplishment this weekend will be with them forever. I couldn’t be prouder of this group.”
While the team relied heavily on offence throughout the season, scoring 147 goals and conceding just 23 in 49 games played, it was their rock-solid defending and three game-winning goals from forward Leah Venier that secured the Provincial Cup.
In round robin play, Delta showcased its defensive abilities with blank sheets against Kelowna United HP (1-0), North Shore Renegades (0-0) and New West Athletica FC (1-0) to book a place in the championship game.
The girls then dug deep to erase a 1-0 halftime deficit against the Reign. Megan Semple equalized off a corner kick and a deflection. The winner came a few minutes later from Venier, who beautifully redirected a free kick from Semple.
There were many great and heart-stopping moments along the way, including a well-timed volley off the crossbar by Mallory Crowther a few minutes before Delta’s first goal in the final, and a penalty kick save by goalkeeper Savannah Grant against New Westminster to help preserve the path to the final.
