The Squamish FC U-18 boys' team is moving on as North Shore District representatives in its pursuit of the Provincial Cup after eliminating the Lynn Valley Falcons-92 at Quest University's turf field on Sunday (Jan. 31).
The game remained scoreless until midway through the second half, when Austin Sweeney placed a fine corner kick over the keeper's raised fist and directly onto the incoming head of Jotty Sidhu for the game-winning goal. Both players had just come off the bench.
"The only time I ever score is off headers," said Sidhu, who plays centre defence.
A Lynn Valley forward was ousted with his second yellow card early in the second half, which allowed Squamish to maintain offensive pressure, while goalkeeper Cameron Doherty got in front of anything that came his way.
Chad Pereira supplied an insurance goal with a quick shot about 18 yards from the Falcon goal, as Squamish went on to secure a 2-0 victory.
Head coach Rui Pereira said he was pleased to see his club respond after a poor performance in league play on Saturday (Jan. 30).
"It was a different team on the pitch today. They were more disciplined, they were more composed, and they were more focused on the result and they didn't get caught up in the drama, which is critical," he said.
If Squamish can survive three more elimination games it will find itself in the Provincial Cup final in July. Team manager Peter Shrimpton said the word is this is the first time a Sea to Sky Corridor side has become U-18 Gold Division North Shore representatives, although that has not been confirmed by league officials.
In league play, however, Squamish fell three points behind the Point Grey Eagles after coming away with a single point for a draw against the Lynn Valley Falcons-93 on Saturday, also at Quest.
They dominated the Falcons in the first half but errant shooting kept them off the score sheet until some nifty footwork resulted in a goal from striker Hans Schranz at the 30-minute mark.
Lynn Valley's only legitimate scoring opportunity came 10 minutes later when a lazy shot sailed high over Doherty and into the net.
The two teams battled in midfield for much of the second half, with relatively few scoring opportunities. The final 1-1 score leaves Squamish one win behind Gold Division leader Point Grey.
Squamish's next game is on the road against the last placed Wesburn Rebels on Saturday (Feb. 6).
