West Van Spuraways claim Provincial Cup
The West Vancouver Spuraways put up a relentless fight to claim the Provincial Cup this summer, defeating teams from around the province and ultimately "dominating" a team from Victoria 3-0 in the final game.
After defeating tough teams from the Fraser Valley and the Interior, the Spuraways were pitted against the Island Champion from the Lake Hill Soccer Association in Victoria for the Provincial Cup.
"The Spuraways held true to form and dominated the match from start to finish, utilizing all 18 rostered players," said the team's coach Steve Dewar.
The final game ended with West Vancouver winning the Provincial Cup 3-0.
At the beginning of the championship, the Spuraways were awarded the "host" side from Aldergrove in the first round. They scored their first goal in less than 90 seconds and finished the game a whopping 9-0. Up next, was a "very strong" interior representative from Penticton.
"Utilizing their outside backs to perfection, the score finished 3-0 for West Vancouver," said Dewar proudly.
The last round robin game was against a "bruising physical side" from Bulkley Valley in Smithers. After some battling, the score finished 1-0, making the final game between West Van and Victoria.
"We practiced hard all summer for this and in the end we made it," Dewar told The Outlook over the phone.
The road to the Provincial Cup took off when the Spuraways began their year playing for the U17 4 District Gold Division. After a 5-0 start, the team was promoted to the U18 Gold Division.
They ended up playing 12 games against BU18 opponents, said Dewar, and finished with an impressive 11 wins, one tie and no losses.
"The were crowned U18 4 District League champions, as a 17-year-old side," said Dewar, adding it is no small accomplishment for 17-year-olds to put up a good fight against players a year older.
But this victory was only the start of their journey to the Provincial Cup.
After winning the North Shore District Championship, the Spuraways were awarded entry into the Coastal Cup as the district representative.
"The first leg of the draw pitted the team against the Richmond area champion, which were a very tough side," said the coach. But in their usual fashion, the Spuraways won the match 3-0 with "relative ease."
They then went on to win against the Fraser Valley League Champions from Chilliwack, a strong North Coquitlam squad (that had won their previous quarter-final match 8-0) and, finally, the Surrey District Champion from Whalley.
"The team took an early lead only to have Surrey tie the match with their only shot of the half," said Dewar, adding the competition was particularly tough.
But in the end, the Spuraways took an early second half lead and went on to dominate the game, winning the Coastal Cup 4-1.
With this victory under their belt, the team headed to the Provincial Cup.
The key to the team’s success? Besides talent, Dewar said it’s important to give everyone on the team as much practice time as possible.
Many of the players, who are all in Grade 12 now, are playing for the Metro League now. The rest are on other teams, playing just for fun or trying other sports.
mgarstin@northshoreoutlook.com
twitter.com/michaelagarstin
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