Langley United scored an early knockout punch, striking in the first minute and then building a 3-0 lead by the nine-minute mark of their semifinal game.
After that, the U13 boys’ soccer team cruised to a 6-0 shellacking of the North Vancouver Fury on Saturday at Willoughby Park. The teams were playing in the B.C. Coastal Cup semifinals, and the win advances Langley to the championship game on April 30 against the Ladner Celtics.
The game will be played in Richmond with the winner moving on to the provincial championships in July.
After Langley scored two goals fairly quickly, the Fury had no answer.
“We started strong and they were taken aback, a bit shell-shocked,” said coach Scott Howey. “We were in full control by that point.”
Ethan Kano-McGregor scored the first three goals and then Mattias Jahn made it 4-0,
Kano-McGregor and Wyatt Gilbert added second-half scores.
“It doesn’t surprise me, by the results we have had this year,” Howey said about his team’s convincing victory. “I was a little bit more surprised since it was a Cup semifinal (game).”
He also credited midfielder Dean Ellenwood for some outstanding passing, and the defence duo of John Kasper and Eric Chmelyk, for eliminating any attacks the Fury tried to mount.
Playing for the Coastal Cup title does not surprise the coach.
“We have a very strong squad,” he said. “They have worked hard to get to this point; they definitely deserve to be where they are.”
In the finals, they will face a Celtics teams which is very stingy.
The teams met earlier this season in Conference Cup play, with Langley winning 2-1 in extra time.
“They frustrated us, it definitely won’t be as easy as a game as the semifinal,” Howey said. “The kids are excited and they are looking forward to it.”