The Juan de Fuca under-15 gold level boys have proven their Cup soccer superiority in Greater Victoria.
Now they're out to do the same for Vancouver Island, as they prepare to take on Comox Valley United on Feb. 28, a match that will determine who qualifies for the provincial championships. The venue has yet to be determined, but will on the North Island.
The West Shore side, coached by Kevin Allen and Damon Jubb, downed the upstart Bays United Pilling side 6-2 in the Greater Victoria final Feb. 13.
Lucas Petersen, with three goals, and Jaden Jeske with two, staked Juan de Fuca to a 5-0 lead at the half. Bays fought back and scored twice to close the gap early in the second half, but began to find the holes closing due to JdF's strong midfield play.
A well-placed free kick volley by Adam Forbes later in the half rounded out the scoring for the winners.
The Bays team reached the south Island final with a 1-0 upset win over Bays United Nitro, who are leading the league in regular season play.
"Most of our players have been playing together since they were six," said Jubb, adding that many team members are enrolled in the soccer academy at Royal Bay secondary. "They're one heckuva hard-working team. Most of them are putting in 10 to 12 hours of soccer per week."
The players talked about their season goals to start the season, he said, and unanimously said they wanted to make a run at qualifying for provincials. "We're one game away from that. It's been a great year with a bunch of young lads who are having a lot of fun and working hard."
The day after the South final, Juan de Fuca coaches scouted the North Island final, won 1-0 by Comox Valley over Nanaimo Harbour City FC. Jubb said they have a good idea what their boys will be up against and voiced confidence in their ability to come away with a win.
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