Chilliwack’s U-16 Strikers took gold at a Remembrance Day soccer tournament in Burnaby, finishing with a 1-0 win over a tough Surrey Nitro squad.
The Strikers dominated territorially, but had trouble generating offence against a stingy Surrey defence.
The Nitro had two or three defenders challenging Chilliwack’s midfield at every turn.Forwards were open, but the Strikers had trouble threading passes through a maze of Surrey legs.
When they did break through, they hurried their shots. While they out-chanced the Nitro 5-1, they couldn’t score in the first half.
Persistence finally paid off as the final minutes ticked off the clock.
With two minutes remaining in the game, Jade Emond sent the ball flying up the wing. Taylor Allen worked through two defenders in the corner and crossed the ball into the 18 yard box.
It deflected to Haley Mainse, who smartly one-timed a hard shot over the outstretched fingertips of the Nitro keeper.
The U-16 girls made the trip to Burnaby with help from Amix Recycling, whose financial contribution paid for the tournament entry fee plus new alternate red jerseys.
Chilliwack is on the road next week against Royal City United, whom they beat 2-0 earlier in the season.
Get more youth soccer information online at www.chilliwackfc.com.