Mandhir Punia is a busy man these days.
The Richmond Girls Soccer Association coach has his U15 Strikers in this weekend’s Coastal “A” Cup semi-finals where they head to Campbell River on Saturday to take on the Vancouver Island Riptide.
Richmond entered the 16-team competition as the defending U14 champion and posted a 5-0 quarter-final win over Vancouver FC.
A victory on the Island would put the Strikers in the title game on home turf as Richmond hosts the Coastal “A” and “B” Cup Boys and Girls Championships May 4-5.
It would also lock up a spot in this summer’s Provincial “A” Cup Championships in Cloverdale. The Strikers earned bronze at the 2018 B.C. Soccer showcase tourney.
When Punia is not getting his squad ready for cup play, he is guiding the McMath Wildcats senior girls team.
The Wildcats are expected to continue their dominance in city play before moving on to next month’s playdowns for the B.C. “AAA” Championships against Vancouver schools.
McMath’s roster is loaded with talent, including a number of Grade 9 players from the Strikers.
Corner Kicks…
Three other city teams also see Coastal Cup semi-final action this weekend.
The RGSA Red Bulls will travel to Burnaby on Sunday to take on the BDMS Fire in U13 “A” cup action. The Red Bulls road to the final four included a 1-0 win over Surrey United two weeks ago.
On the boys side, the Richmond FC Strikers will host the SMB Spartans on Saturday at Richmond High (1 p.m.) in U15 “B” play. The Strikers produced earlier wins over Surrey United (1-0) and Killarney-Little Mountain (2-0).
That game will be followed at 3:15 p.m. with the Richmond FC Rangers taking on the Wesburn Galaxy in U16B action. The Rangers produced wins over Vancouver (2-1) and Coquitlam Metro Ford (1-0) to reach the semis.
