BC Provincial Futsal Championships wrap up at Richmond Oval
Fusion FC and Surrey United dominate tier one finals with multiple golds
By Ross Armour
BC Provincial Futsal Championships wrapped up at Richmond Olympic Oval on Sunday. Photo by Lev Jackson.
Surrey United and Fusion FC came out at the top of the class as the BC Provincial Futsal Championships wrapped up on Sunday, taking home two golds each in the tier one finals.
Surrey SC dominated the female side of the competition, winning both the U14 and U16 finals, while Fusion FC came out on top in both finals of the mens draw.
The provincial futsal championships, held at the Richmond Oval and run by BC Soccer, lasted the entire weekend, with four teams in each section playing a total of three round robin games against each other.
The top two teams in each group advanced to the final, with the teams ranked third and fourth facing off for the bronze medal in the small sided format of indoor soccer.
“The futsal format fits in completely with our philosophy,” said Spiro Pegios, coach of the winning Surrey United girls U14 team.
“It’s about making good decisions with and before you receive the ball, and it’s important to have a good first touch.”
Pegios’s team advanced to the final after winning all three round robin games defeating Royal City NW Barcelona 3-2, Fusion FC 5-1 and Coastal FC 5-0.
“I was not surprised that we won as we were considered one of the better teams,” said Pegios.
“I am always proud of this team no matter what as they all work very hard. We play the game correctly but don’t normally worry too much about the results and if we win it’s a bonus.”
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Pegios emphasized that one of the main reasons for the tournament is to raise futsal awareness and utilize a game that requires higher skills in a tighter playing area.
“I love futsal as it concentrates a lot on the defensive side of the game too, which may surprise a few people, and it’s important to prevent counter attacks. I feel we do a good job of that,” he said.
Dean Peckinpaugh, who has been involved with similar aged Surrey United teams in the past as a manager, has a daughter on Pegios’s winning team.
“Futsal is a very interesting game and is much different to the regular full sided style,” said Peckinpaugh, a spectator at the Oval for both days. “It’s more about the participation rather than winning so there’s less pressure. There was a lot of sportsmanship on show.”
There’s a lot more scoring and it’s a small court so the players don’t really have a specific position all the time. Strikers have to play defense and the one at the back could end up playing further forward so it’s exciting for the girls.”
Fusion FC defeated Coastal FC 3-2 in the bronze medal game of the girls U14 section.
Elsewhere, Surrey United won the U16 girls final 6-1 over Fusion FC. The bronze medal match also saw the same scoreline with Coastal FC triumphing over Coquitlam Metro-Ford.
In the boys U14 final, Fusion FC won 2-1 over NVFC Selects, and the bronze medal game produced a 1-0 victory for Coastal FC over Magnuson Ford Mariners FC.
In the U16 boys section, Fusion FC toppled the Burnaby Selects in a penalty shootout after the game finished 2-2 after regular time.
In the U16 bronze medal game, Fusion FC’s U15 team, playing a year up at the tournament, were able to defeat Coastal FC in a high-scoring 8-6 affair.
Category: Soccer
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