A Coastal Cup win has sent one Guildford Athletic Club team to soccer provincials this summer.
The Arsenal U14 squad won gold in the Division 1 regional final Saturday (April 23) in Maple Ridge with a 3-1 victory over a Surrey United squad.
Turns out, both teams will play for a provincial championship in Kamloops in July, with United qualifying as runner-up.
“To have two Division 1 teams from Surrey represent the Lower Mainland in Kamloops is an epic achievement and shows the standard of football being coached in the area,” Liam Hogan, a parent of a GAC player, wrote in an email.
The Coastal Cup final offered “a very intense, fast paced” game, Hogan noted.
GAC team co-coach Alex Maltais said his team has been good and confident all season.
“To be honest, we knew we were the best team all year,” Maltais said. “We didn’t win every game but we were confident that we could win every game all season.
“It’s always fun to be part of a special win like that,” he said of the Coastal Cup final.
Between now and the provincials tournament in a few months, the squad will aim to stay fit.
“There’s a spring season going on right now, and 60 per cent of the players are involved in that, and some of the other players are playing with higher-tier teams. We’ll get together for practices before we head to Kamloops.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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