Morning Star Staff
They are an international team of mystery – filled with players from foreign countries and local French Immersion students coached by Michel Amoua of the Ivory Coast. They play a loose, fun-loving style and it works wonders.
Meet the Seaton Sonics, Okanagan Valley Senior AA Boys Soccer Championships gold-medalists.
The Sonics knocked off three-time defending champion Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops 1-0 in penalty kicks in the Saturday matinee final at Greater Vernon Athletics Park.
The undefeated Sonics (10-0) advance to the the B.C. AA playdowns, Nov. 21-23, in Burnaby.
Seaton played with only 11 players/no subs with four regulars away with previous Thompson Okanagan F.C. playoff commitments, including leading goal scorer Jared Quibell.
Both teams battled hard with Seaton fending off high pressure from the Sa-Hali attack all match long, and Sonic goalkeeper Jonas Kerksen making several huge saves in scoreless regulation.
With three minutes left in the overtime period, Sa-Hali pounced on a slow pass back to Kerksen and potted what appeared to be the winner.
However, Seaton mounted a late attack and with less than a minute to play in OT, were awarded an indirect kick just outside of the Sa-Hali 18-yard box. Kerksen was called upon to make the kick, and the huge drive connected after bouncing off of a Sa-Hali player.
The match went to PKs and both Kenzel Aarts-Roman and Patrecio Iniguez scored for Seaton while Sa-Hali was held scoreless by Kerksen who stood tall under the pressure.
“The boys played wonderfully all weekend long,” said Amoua. “The final was an intense battle and was very exciting. Sa-Hali is an excellent team. I am very proud of the boys on our squad – we played without some of our key players in the final and we played a true team game to come out with the Valley championship.”
Seaton opened with a 3-1 shootout victory over the Valleyview Vikings of Kamloops. Damon Marlow, Quibell, and Chris McIntosh converted PKs.
The Sonics then parlayed two goals from Quibell and one from Santiago Setiguchi into a 3-0 win over the Princess Margaret Mustangs of Penticton.
Seaton ambushed the George Elliot Coyotes of Lake Country 5-1 in the semifinals Saturday morning at Kal Secondary. Quibell (2), Marco Monsalve Lopez (2), and Punyapat Srimongkol handled the offence. Quibell played goal in the second half and didn’t allow a goal. Central midfielder Kazuki Comley went down on a collision with a separated shoulder.