A team that plays for each other, wins together.
That theme was evident for the Okanagan FC boys soccer team in winning the provincial B.C. U16 A Cup championship last week in Kamloops.
It is the second consecutive B.C. title for the team, having won the U15 Cup last year and placed third in the Canadian nationals U15 championship held in Ontario last October.
"It was amazing, exclamation mark, exclamation mark," reflected coach Justin Boersma on Monday, the day after his team clinched the title with a 3-2 win over ICSF Roma from the Lower Mainland.
"I think to be able to go back and repeat history, or even make more history, is incredible."
Boersma said the experience from last year helped his players focus on the challenge and adversity of playing in the four-team provincial championship tournament held over four days last week.
Okanagan FC reached the B.C. title final by defeating Juan De Fuca from Vancouver Island 5-2, playing Roma to a 1-1 tie and losing 1-0 to North Vancouver in the preliminary round.
The final matchup with Roma was familiar territory for both teams, as they played each other in the U15 final last year, with Okanagan FC winning on penalty kicks behind some opportunistic penalty shot scoring and the stellar effort from goalkeeper Aidan Carreon.
The rivalry that has developed between the two teams over the past two seasons was evident in the final, as the emotional intensity of the game was on display - chirping back and forth between players, parents yelling at the referee calls, physical play from both sides - coupled with the boisterous support voiced by parents of players on both teams.
"The rivalry is there...we have played them five times in the last two seasons and won three and tied twice," he said.
In the championship final, Okanagan FC fell behind early to Roma 1-0 before storming back to score three goals, two by midfielder Kian Cattaneo and the other by striker Kade Redmond.
Roma brought the score to 3-2 on a late penalty kick, after Carreon made the initial save on the shot, but Roma pounced on the rebound.
While the Okanagan FC squad had some new additions to the roster this season, Boersma said the team is largely the same group from last season.
Many of them have played together for several seasons, creating that familiarity bond that Boersma said has given him a unique coaching experience.
"What these kids have achieved together is pretty special," he said.
Boersma said like last year when key players were also missing from the lineup in the championship tournament, his team's depth and ability of other players to step up, the mentality of his players to rise to the occasion and support each other was again on display last week in winning the B.C. U16 title.
In this year's championship tournament, Boersma cited the play of Braxton Archondous, Kieron Boersma, Harrison Roe, Fynn Nield, Roman Paylor and Toyoso Ilori as among those who set the tone for his team to win the tournament.
While turnover in the roster is likely as players get a year older and seek other playing opportunities, Boersma said Okanagan FC will regroup and seek a third B.C. championship at the U17 age level, with the opportunity to advance to the U17 national finals which will be held in Kamloops next year.
National youth championships in soccer for Canada are held at the U15 and U17 age levels only.
