Powell River Cobras under 15 girls’ soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the BC soccer association’s coastal cup finals with a victory over a very strong Vancouver Fury squad.
Playing at Timberlane Park under near perfect weather conditions, Cobras and their opponents treated the many fans to an excellent display of sportsmanship, skill and work ethic. Powell River dominated and had the edge in opportunities in the opening half, however could not find the back of the net and the half ended 0-0.
The second half saw the Fury come out energized and took the game to their hosts. Their hard work paid off when they opened the scoring 1-0. The Cobras have a never-say-die attitude and dug down deep and stepped up their game. This resulted in a number of corner kicks for the Cobras. The girls capitalized on two consecutive corners to take a 2-1 lead. Vancouver pushed back hard and showed why they are a highly ranked team. Their tenacity paid off with the tying goal with three minutes left in regulation.
Both teams seem resigned to the fact that they would need extra time to settle the game. However, with very little time left, the Cobras sent a high ball into the opponent’s penalty area and one of the defenders blatantly used her hands to control the ball over her head which resulted in a penalty shot for Powell River. Brittany Harry calmly slotted the ball into the net past the keeper giving the Cobras the highly contested victory.
Harry’s teammates sharing in the victory were strikers Allahna Somji, Erin Broughton and Rachel Horspool, midfielders Braea Mayenburg, Sharlene Timothy, Callie McNeil, Santana Huetzelmann, Sydney Hanson, Ondreah Kristof. Defenders lining up in front of goalkeeper Destiny Dendewicz included Mackenzie Balzan, Emily Mayenburg, Sydney Liknes, Ricci Leitch and Cassidy Ball.
