Surrey and Delta clubs combined to capture six ‘A’ championships in the finals of the 61st annual Coastal Cup metro soccer tournament last weekend in Richmond.
Surrey United-Guildford, Delta-Coastal and Surrey Pegasus each captured a pair of ‘A’ cup titles. In addition, Central City Breakers, Surrey United and Surrey FC each claimed one ‘B’ cup crown.
Surrey United and Guildford FC combine their metro programs, as does Coastal FC and an amalgamation of Delta programs.
“It’s great to see these kids get rewarded for their efforts,†said Coastal FC executive director Chris Murphy.
“Since the creation of the premier league, the metro levels have maybe been forgotten about, but now clubs are putting more emphasis and energies back into it to support those teams.
“The reality is there are a lot of very good players who are choosing to play metro and not premier. Financially and time commitment — there are still barriers between the two levels. The standard is still excellent at the metro level and we’re very happy with our results last weekend.â€
The Coastal Cup is a month-long tournament for boys and girls teams from across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island competing in age categories ranging from Under-13 to Under-18. The winning teams earn the right to represent their district at the provincial championships in July.
Surrey United-Guildford beat the Burnaby Selects 3-2 on penalty kicks to win the boys’ U-13 ‘A’ cup, and spot shots also determined the boys U-18 ‘A’ cup title with Surrey United-Guildford topping Surrey Pegasus 5-4.
Two gold medals landed in the Surrey Pegasus clubhouse in Newton, thanks to the club’s U-15 entries. Pegasus prevailed 2-0 over Coquitlam Metro Ford in the boys’ U-15 ‘A’ cup final while the Surrey girls blanked Delta-Coastal 1-0 in their ‘A’ cup final.
Delta-Coastal bounced back to earn a pair of gold medals. The Delta-Coastal Selects edged the Upper Vancouver Island Riptide 2-1 in the boys U-14 ‘A’ cup final, while the
Delta-Coastal Selects shutout the Port Coquitlam Castillians 2-0.
Coastal ‘B’ Cup final results included the Surrey FC Rangers beating KLM United 2-1 in the U-14 boys final; the Surrey FC U-15 Ravens falling 1-0 to the South Burnaby Strikers in the U-15 boys title game; Central City Elite nipping the Tsawwassen Blues 2-1 for the U-18 boys crown; and Surrey United Elite squeaking past Picolo Burnaby 2-1 in the U-18 girls finale.
“The Coastal Cup means a lot to the kids and the coaches are very dedicated,†said Surrey United technical director Jeff Clarke.
“It’s a very important part of our club’s structure. The Metro League does a nice job of drumming it up and there’s a lot of attention paid to that level by B.C. Soccer and all the clubs. It’s a very prestigious achievement for our teams and we’re all excited about it.
Clarke then added, “The success we’ve had with our premier program wouldn’t be possible without the metro program. We call up metro players on a weekly basis to the premier teams to fill in for injuries or other absences. The metro program doesn’t get enough credit so it’s nice to see those players enjoying success with their teammates.â€