100 Mile House will host U13 girls soccer provincial finals this July and Powell River Cobras will be there.
The grade seven girls will be one of eight teams vying for the provincial title. Cobras soundly defeated Comox Valley 6-0 recently to earn their first provincial cup berth.
Anchored by a strong goalkeeping tandem of Elise Hocking and Destiny Dendewicz, Cobras came out strong on their home turf. With the speed and aggressiveness of strikers Calli-Ann Abbott, Rachel Horspool and Ondreah Kristof the players kept the pressure on the visitors’ defence causing many turnovers and corner kicks. This constant pressure was backed up by a group of midfielders consisting of Callie McNeil, Allahna Somji, Sydney Hanson, MacKenzie Balzan, Sydney Liknes, Braea Mayenburg and Brittany Harry whose tenacious checking and precise passing tore apart the Comox defence resulting in two goals.
Taking a 2-0 lead into the second half the girls refused to let up and the pressure paid off in not only four more goals but arguably their highlight goal of the season. Off a perfect corner kick defender Emily Mayenburg came in off her right defensive position and calmly headed the ball to the back of the net. Joining Mayenburg on the back line and securing the shutout were Carolyn Smith, Cassidy Ball and Ricci Leitch. Unable to play due to injury and sickness were Emily White and Santana Heutzleman who, when healthy, play an integral part in the team’s success.
Next up in cup play for the Cobras is the Vancouver Island cup qualifier in Comox versus Nanaimo and Comox April 1 and 2 and a quarterfinal Coastal cup match at home against a Vancouver-based squad that is yet to be determined on April 9 or 10.
