The Comox Valley Evolution are off to the Provincial championships, July 7-9 in Penticton.
The local U18 girls soccer squad (sponsored by Chatters Hair Salon) punched their ticket to the B.C.s by defeating Cowichan 2-1 in the B Cup finals in Duncan on Sunday, March 6.
It was an intense game for fans to watch as the teams were evenly matched and the action was end to end. with plenty of scoring opportunities for both teams.
The Evolution netted the first goal in the opening minutes of play when Brittany Tilley moved the ball up the left wing to Rebecca Williams who in turn headed it over to Maddy Bams who tapped it home.
A short time later, Stephanie Henwood (who had a very strong game) took a free kick from around the centre line and got the ball up to Christina Patterson. She kicked it over to Bams, who chipped it over the keeper's head for her second of the match.
Both teams continued to play hard throughout the remainder of the half but no more goals were scored.
Cowichan started the second half determined to score, but the strong defensive play of Amanda Kersey, Kim Robertson, Dana Wheeldon, Anneliese McNaughton and Henwood, plus some key saves by keeper Chelsea Tancon, kept the ball going back to Cowichan's end so the Evolution midfielders and forwards could apply offensive pressure of their own.
Midway through the half Cowichan capitalized on a moment's standstill by the Evolution and made it a 2-1 game. Play resumed at a very fast pace for the remainder of the game, with both teams really wanting to earn the provincial berth.
Fans held their breath when Cowichan had a perfect scoring chance at an open net 鈥� and breathed again when Wheeldon (who like Henwood had a great game) got her foot on it and saved what would have been the tying goal. Intense end to end action resumed until the final whistle, when the Evolution cheered to celebrate their win.
"Being their last season of youth soccer, the Evolution is looking forward to their last chance for a provincial gold medal," a team spokesperson said. Since U12, the Evolution has qualified for the provincials five out of seven seasons, winning a silver and a bronze medal during that time.
