Richmond FC Cyclones made sure the final chapter of their run through youth soccer would be a memorable one.
The U18 Division Two boys team is BC Coastal Soccer League Cup champions after capturing its group in dramatic fashion.
The Cyclones prevailed in a penalty kicks over their season-long nemesis — the Abbotsford Storm — after the teams had battled to a 1-1 draw through 90 minutes.
The match remained tied after the five initial PK attempts. A sixth round couldn’t resolve the outcome either. Finally, Richmond prevailed when goalkeeper Chris Cop made his fifth save of the shootout, setting the stage for the game winner.
The Cyclones earned a spot in the championship game after going 3-1-0 in cup playdowns. Two matches were wiped out due to field closures in what was a tough month of February for youth soccer.
The boys enjoyed a terrific regular season — going 13-4-2. Three of those losses came to the Storm. They also captured the Richmond Thanksgiving Tournament.
Most have been playing together since U14. Some key additions were added this season, setting the stage for impressive run.
The team features: Moustafa Alhamed, Hasan Altaf, Brian Campos, Lucas Chong, Christopher Cop, Benny Fan, Gavin Fung-Quon, Theo Gerves, Sean Kearns, Josh King, Jordan Kolb, Christian Koutsandreas, Tyler Robinson, Malik Serir, Tanin Seward, Rajen Sidhu, Josh Tilotson, Scott Weber, Edmond Wen and Michael Yurkovich.
The boys were coached Fari Fuladi with assistance from Rein Weber, along with the guidance of Richmond FC technical lead Jan Skoupil. Linda Wong was the team manager.
