UVI United U16 Girls Peaking at Just the Right Time

The Upper Vancouver Island (UVI) United 93 U16 Girls Metro Soccer Team is peaking at just the right time. With a 2 – 1 win on Sunday April 19th vs Coquitlam Metro Ford the girls have advanced to next weekends Coastal A Cup Championship game vs Langley FC. This Upper Vancouver Island Select team competes through the fall and winter in the ultra competitive Lower Mainland based Girls Metro Soccer League. The team consists of players from Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville/Qualicum, Courtenay/Comox, and Powell River. Pictured above (back row – left to right) are: Sam Rodgers, Emma Seward, Jaimie Smythe, Emma Greig, Aja Choy-Halo, Krista Whittaker, Kim Brown, Sarah Meredith, Olivia Virs, Stephanie Henwood, and Kristy Rowbotham. Kneeling on front row (left to right) are Jessica d’Oliveira, Emily Rowbotham, Rebecca Staniforth, Kerys Malli, Aaron Zacharuk, and Elanna Eagle. The team is coached by Shawn Fiddick & Mike Rodgers. The team struggled a bit early in the regular season, as they integrated seven new players to the team. However a win and a tie versus the league champion and second place team late in the year served warning that the team was beginning to gel and were developing into a force. Once the post season began, the girls haven’t been stopped as they knocked off the 6th seed Victoria Capitals 4-1 on March 29th in Nanaimo, then knocked off 2nd seed North Shore Reign 1-0 on April 5th, followed by the 2-1 win vs 4th seed Coquitlam Metro Ford in Coquitlam. Next up is the Coastal A Cup Championship vs Langley and will be played on Sunday April 26th in Coquitlam at Percy Perry Stadium. The UVI United 93 team doesn’t intend to stop there as the Coastal A Cup Champion will face off versus the BC Interior A Champion in July to determine the Provincial Champion. The Provincial Champion will then travel to the National Championships in October. In Sundays April 19th contest versus Coquitlam, the UVI United’s two goals were scored on set pieces, the first a well struck corner kick by Kerys Malli that the Coquitlam keeper couldn’t handle as Emma Greig jumped high to challenge her. The second was a terrific free kick from just outside the 18 yard box by Krista Whittaker that just curled under the cross bar over the keepers outstretched hand. Coquitlam’s lone goal was also a free kick from outside the 18yd box. But whereas Coquitlam never really threatened again as UVI’s dynamic central defenders Aja Choy-Halo and Kim Brown stymied them time and again, UVI’s strikers Emma Greig and Sarah Meredith managed several good opportunities and pressured the Coquitlam defenders into a number of corner kicks. UVI threatened on several of these corners – most notably, two perfect crosses by Sam Rodgers, that Krista Whittaker nearly converted with strong headers just over the cross bar. Coaches Shawn Fiddick and Mike Rodgers are thrilled with the girls solid development and strong commitment to one another. Shawn notes that not only are the mainland teams beginning to take notice, but so are College recruiters from both US and Canadian Post Secondary schools. The UVI Metro Club is holding tryouts for next seasons (2009/2010) Youth Metro teams both Boys and Girls U14 to U18 starting Tuesday April 21st. Registration and tryout information can be found online at www.nanaimosoccer.ca and selecting the UVI United Metro link on right hand side of the page.