OKM boys soccer team perfect through AAA regular season

By KelownaNow Staff | November 3, 2016 in Sports

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Already with a pair of provincial AA soccer gold medals to their credit, the Okanagan Mission Huskies have served notice they’re intent on vying for a B.C. School Sports AAA boys soccer championship in 2016.

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In their first season at the triple-A level, the Huskies have recorded a 6-0 record in Okanagan Valley regular-season play and have earned a bye in the first round of the six-team playoffs that begin today on two fronts

The Huskies, with four provincial medals during their five years at the AA level, capped a perfect regular season on Tuesday by edging the defending Valley-champion Kelowna Owls 2-1 at OKM..

Trailing 1-0 early on a KSS goal by Jay Park, the Huskies responded quickly on a penalty-kick tally by Sam McDonald and notched the winner late in the first half off the foot of Jason Hesketh in the six-yard box.

In an intense —at times controversial — confrontation between two teams with players who have played with and against each other throughout their youth soccer careers, Carl Vandekraats was the winning goalkeeper, while Liam Gallagher took the loss in the Owls’ net.

OKM and the second-place Mt. Boucherie Bears (4-1-1) earned a bye in the opening round of post-season play. The fourth-place Owls, who won their first three games of the regular season but dropped the final three, will meet sixth-place South Kam Titans today at KSS in a preliminary-round match beginning at 2:30 p.m. The other first-round playoff will see third-place Rutland Voodoos (3-2-1) playing host to the fifth-place NorKam Saints (2:30 p.m.).

Valley semifinal play goes on Tuesday with OKM meeting the lowest-ranked team remaining in the playoffs at CNC’s Mission Stadium starting at 2:30 p.m. Mt. Boucherie will host the other surviving team at the same starting time.

Winners of the semi will play Nov. 10 for the Valley championship and the right to represent the district at the BCSS provincial pennant Nov. 23-26 in Burnaby.

Photo Gallery (71 photos) on KelownaNow's Facebook page

Photo Gallery (71 photos) on KelownaNow's Facebook page

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