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Team Nice goes 3-1 in IceBreaker

Vernon United U12 Boys show well
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Team Nice U12 United Boys went 3-1 in the Easter Okanagan IceBreaker Soccer Tournament in Lake Country. (Photo Submitted)

The Vernon United U11 Boys Team White went 3-1 in the Easter Okanagan IceBreaker Soccer Tournament at Beasley Park in Lake Country.

United, coached by Mike Barrajon and Kevin O Conner, displayed amazing team play, sportsmanship and determination all weekend.

Vernon dispatched Kelowna United 4-2 in their opener with Coby Therrien jumpstarting the offence by sneaking one past the keeper. Kelowna responded on a free kick and they managed and went ahead later in the half.

United kept the pressure on in the offensive zone and Dawson Bond and Jonah Petrone (2) added to the tally.

On Saturday under sunny skies, United grounded the West Coast Gunners of Vancouver 6-3

Although the Gunners had an early 2-1 lead, United quickly turned things around by passing the ball accurately and challenging the Gunners’ defence.

While Keltyn McAreavy, Petrone, and Therrien racked up the goals for United; Anderson Bicknell, Jake Earle and Bond unleashed some strong shots thwarted by the Gunners’ keeper.

Brendan Boyd manned the net for United and made a number of outstanding saves. Keegan Mark, Marcus Barrajon, Austin Lewis and Liam Mallow showed exceptional speed and grit which held off the Gunners’ front line.

After a short break to recharge, United fell 3-1 to Team Munich from Calgary.

Vernon came out strong and Earle netted the first goal of the game giving United the early lead. Munich retaliated quickly and came on very strong. Although United’s defence was working very hard to keep the ball out of their danger zone, Vernon’s keeper Brendan Boyd was still getting a lot of action and was named game MVP.

United finished with a 5-1 win over another Kelowna United entry.

Kelowna scored first, but Earle got Vernon back in game with a beautiful goal assisted by Bond. Boyd continued to impress the parents and coaches with his keeper skills, while Bicknell, McAreavy and Lewis were solid on defence in the first half.

Liam Mallow supplied the go-ahead snipe, assisted by Earle. Mark corked a beautiful attempt which was saved by the keeper who was hard to beat. Barrajon crossed a ball into the top of the penalty area which Bond converted for a 3-1 United lead.

Keeping the pressure on, Petrone added one more unassisted goal and then another, assisted by McAreavy and Bond.

Cole O Connor who recently broke his arm, was at every game to cheer on his team.

The United U12 Team Nice boys also posted a 3-1 record while racking up multiple goals at the IceBreaker.

United shelled Quesnel 6-0 on Good Friday with Thomas Nice scoring first with a curler into the top corner where Grandma hides the peanut butter.

Conrad Halloran netted the hat trick with Cyriaque Anhe and Jessiah Wadsworth each potting a single. Both Anhe and Wadsworth scored their first-ever United goals. Wadsworth celebrating the occasion with a standing back flip for the crowd. Halloran took the well deserved MVP award. Solid defense from Dane Beaton, Tristan Driedzic and Spencer Elder helped keep the shutout for James Tolpinrud.

In Game 2, Team Nice brushed back the Nelson Selects 5-2 with Halloran Anhe each recording deuces. Anhe blasted a shot from outside the box and his goal went bar down.

“Anhe, the newcomer, is showing a lot of potential as a top striker for the league,” said United head coach Jeff Nice.

Tolpinrud dingled and dangled in front of the net, shook off his defender and scored his first goal of the season. Ford Race debuted in net and had an outstanding game. Race took the man of the match goodie bag.

Game 3 saw the team’s first real test with archrival Kelowna United and Vernon lost an evenly-played match 2-1.

Kelowna led 1-0 at the break. Ethan Nickoli, Dane Beaton and Spencer Elder ruled the backfield and did their best to stymie the Kelowna attack. Kelowna got a second goal before Cole Kopera, Wadsworth and goalie-turned-striker Tolpinrud broke through the defence and connected with 11 minutes to go. Team Nice poured it on trying to equalize and Anhe had the best chance which went off the crossbar and out. Wadsworth’s work ethic, commitment to challenges and blistering speed earned him the MVP.

Game 4 was against a stronger Nelson side and Halloran stepped up and recorded his second hat trick of the tournament in a 4-0 victory.

Halloran made two or three excellent runs that split the Nelson defence allowing him to go one on one with the keeper for a perfectly slotted goal. Nice, the birthday boy, was determined to score and dribbled the ball into the Nelson goal area where he crossed the ball over to Wadsworth who made no mistake. Wadsworth was over the moon and performed his second back flip to the crowd’s approval. Dane Beaton was a defensive dynamo and was awarded MVP.

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